You Are My Universe
by liketolaugh
Summary: Side story to Cosmic Composite, primarily family fluff oneshots and missing scenes. Currently: Lavi and Pepper (Storytime)
1. Kanda and Bucky - Teething

**A/N: Okay, so this is the side story, as promised. *smile* First chapter is Bucky and Kanda, teething.**

 **Title: You Are My Universe**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Family**

 **Warnings: AU, _!_ _spoilers for Winter Soldier onward,_** ** _spoilers for Agents of SHIELD!_**

 **Summary: Side story to Cosmic Composite, primarily family fluff oneshots.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man, and the Avengers are but a dream that is not my own.**

* * *

 **Kanda: 1 year 4 months**

* * *

Kanda's mouth hurt, and it was _annoying._

He scowled (he didn't _pout)_ and pushed away the bowl of applesauce. Nope. No, he'd rather _not eat_ than eat with his mouth feeling like this. It burned and his nonexistent teeth ached and he was _so done_ with _teething._

"Yuu?"

He looked up to see Bucky frowning down at him, looking faintly confused and a little concerned.

"Why are you not eating?"

Kanda huffed and looked at the ground, kicking the air bad-temperedly. The stupid bear pushed the bowl back toward him, and he shoved it away again. Bucky's frown deepened.

"Yuu, you need to eat. You need food to sustain yourself and grow."

"No," Kanda said petulantly. What he _needed_ was for his healing factor to fix this, but it didn't work on ongoing damage. Anyway, he'd done just fine when he refused food from the stupid scientists. Why couldn't Bucky just let him deal with it? "No foo."

Bucky looked very confused now, and he put down his bowl of gross oatmeal mush to pick up the spoon in Kanda's stead. "Airplane," he offered, and tried to feed Kanda.

Normally, Kanda gave up at this point and took the food, because watching the bear do that was funny and usually made him feel tolerant enough to deal with it. This time, though, he scowled and swatted it away. The applesauce splattered, and Bucky's frown deepened. "No foo! No aiwplay!"

Kanda knew that he was being a brat, but he didn't care; he felt too bad, bad enough that he didn't care about whatever-the-hell consequences the stupid bear came up with, not that he could recall receiving any significant discipline from the man.

Bucky considered him for a moment, frowning, and then put the spoon down and picked Kanda up, placing him on the table to study him, as if he were a particularly difficult puzzle. Kanda felt his gum burn at him and winced, scowling at the ground.

"What is wrong?" Bucky asked at last, not breaking his intent gaze.

Kanda huffed. "Mouf hurt," he muttered. _Stupid_ tears made his eyes burn, and he bit them down. "Don' wanna."

"Your mouth... hurts?" Bucky repeated, brow furrowed. Without a second thought, he reached up to nudge Kanda's mouth open with his human hand.

Without thinking, Kanda opened his mouth obediently, eyes on Bucky again as the older man peered into it contemplatively. Bucky would figure out a way to fix it.

 _Wait, what? I can fix my own damn problems!_

Damn, but Kanda hated being a kid.

For a few minutes, both of them were still. Finally, Bucky released Kanda's mouth and straightened up again.

"Your gums appear irritated," Bucky observed. "I suppose your teething is getting worse."

Kanda let out a high-pitched whining sound that made him want to cringe, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Bucky, however, nodded seriously, as if he'd said something coherent, and then picked him up in his human arm.

"There is a toddler supply store in this city," the weird bear told him. "It would be conducive to the mission to go. I should have done it sooner."

Kanda grunted and let his head rest on Bucky's shoulder - pouting, not that he'd ever admit it. Kanda Yuu did _not_ back down to pain, but then, Kanda Yuu had never been a toddler.

* * *

The baby store was a few blocks away, but the Asset covered the distance quickly, slightly concerned for the boy in his arms. Yuu had turned his head into Bucky's jacket to hide his face, and the Winter Soldier could hear the little hiccups in his breath that usually meant that he was upset.

The Asset had been considering visiting a specialty store for some time now, but there hadn't been an urgent need, and money was always low.

For some reason, despite the lack of real risk, Bucky was counting this as urgent need.

It wasn't just the money, though - his head… hadn't been in anything like a good condition, and trips into the public were best kept minimal. Today was a good day, however, and this was a good errand to go out on. Things which contributed to the Mission, taking care of Yuu, were always easiest. Made it easiest to keep HYDRA out of his head. And speaking of the Mission...

The Soldier thought for a moment, and then offered Yuu his gloved metal finger; Yuu usually found something to gnaw on when the pain in his gums got especially bad.

Sure enough, Yuu took it and gummed at the cold prosthetic viciously, but he didn't seem any less unhappy, so Bucky determined that it was a stopgap measure at best.

Frustratingly, the Soldier couldn't seem to recall what he'd done about Yuu's teething pain in the past; those had been a few of many memories taken by HYDRA. It came and went, as did his own attentiveness, but he couldn't recall it being bad enough in the past to keep Yuu from eating, which was problematic.

He opened the door into the store, letting the warm air wash over him, and looked around apprehensively. And then he frowned slightly.

There were fluffy things and pastel colors everywhere, and a thousand little signs. And the Asset had never felt so ridiculously out of his depth.

Even with four months of memory behind him, he still had no idea what he was doing.

But he wasn't going to get anything done standing in the doorway, so he cautiously moved further into the store, looking around for anything that might indicate… ah.

In the area dedicated to teething supplies, the Soldier was only slightly closer to finding what he needed, except… There were quite a lot of choices. He reclaimed his hand and picked up one box to study it, frowning.

It needed to be frozen, he noted. They didn't have consistent access to a freezer. He put it back. He also considered banging his head off of the metal, but that was unproductive. He wasn't supposed to do things that did not contribute to the mission.

"Brauchen Sie Hilfe?"

The Soldier was not very good at speaking German. He did not need to very often, so his written German was much better. He looked up to see a woman with light brown hair and a slightly amused smile, with a blinking infant in her arms. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, do you speak English?" she asked, expression changing to one of curiosity. He nodded.

She smiled. "I can speak English. Do you need help?"

He glanced back at the isle, and then down to Yuu, who was wincing again with his face hidden in his jacket, and nodded. The Asset did not know how to take care of children. It made the Mission very difficult.

"What do you need?" she asked, moving to see what he was looking at. The infant in her arms cooed. "I'm Carina, by the way, and this is my daughter Ava. I also have a four-year-old at home."

"I am…" The Soldier hesitated, and then continued, "Bucky. This is Yuu."

Yuu peeked up and frowned at Carina, and then resettled so he could keep his gaze on her.

"Yuu is having trouble eating, because of the pain from teething," the Soldier continued, a small frown twisting his lips. "I am looking for something to ease it."

"Of course," Carina agreed. She bent over a little to look at Yuu. Yuu tried to scowl at her, but he winced, and Bucky did as well when he saw tears well up in Yuu's eyes and felt his breath hitch again. "Poor baby," Carina said sympathetically. "I have something."

The Asset watched as Carina reached into her purse and rummaged around for a moment. Ava squirmed and Carina calmed her absently, and then pulled out a plastic container, which held a small, folded washcloth and a quantity of water, with some ice floating in it. This, she offered to the Asset.

The Asset took it and looked down at it, puzzled.

"Your son can chew on it," she explained, smiling kindly. "It will help."

Bucky considered it for a moment, and then he nodded and popped the lid off with his free hand, removed the washcloth, and offered it to Yuu. Yuu gave him a small frown, but then he took it and stuck one corner in his mouth, chewing on it obediently.

Bucky watched him carefully, staying silent, and within a few moments, he felt Yuu relax slightly, letting out a contented sound. He looked back up to Carina and nodded. "Thank you."

There was water seeping across Yuu's chest; Bucky would have to change his shirt later. Also, said shirt was looking a little small. He would have to buy more soon.

"Of course," she assured him. "But we should find you something to take home. What are you looking for?"

He looked at the shelves. He had no idea. She laughed, taking the information from his expression.

"Do not worry, I can help you. Do you want something to freeze?"

He shook his head. "We don't stay in one place for long," he explained. "I need something I can travel with."

Her eyebrows rose slightly, surprised. "And you take your son with you? Where is the mother, if I may ask?"

That was… a difficult question. Bucky shrugged and looked at the shelves again. "She is… not around," he explained evasively.

Carina clucked her tongue sympathetically. "And you take care of Yuu all by yourself?"

Bucky nodded.

"Well, you do very good," she assured him, finding what she was looking for and reaching for it. "And your son is adorable. Is it difficult?"

It was nothing if not that. Bucky nodded again. Yuu laid his head on Bucky's shoulder, still chewing on the washcloth.

"I would like to tell you it gets easier," Carina said ruefully. She gave him the box she'd picked up. "Here. It does not need to be frozen, but it will work well."

Bucky looked down at the teething ring. "Thank you," he told her.

"It was no trouble," she promised. "Do you need other things? Can you read German well enough to find a book here?"

Bucky considered. He didn't like feeling so lost, especially doing something so important. He nodded again. In his arms, Yuu started to fall asleep, relaxing more against him, corner of the little purple washcloth still in his mouth.

"Then we can go find some."

* * *

A few hours later, Bucky put Yuu down for a nap, and then settled down to read his new harvest of books, gaze strict and as intent as if he were reading a mission briefing.

He wanted to do this well, and not… not _just_ because it was his only remaining mission.

Bucky was sorry for dragging Yuu along with him, but he could not leave him. He _would_ not, and Yuu would not pay the price for that weakness.

* * *

 **Keep in mind that Bucky has only been away from HYDRA for four months now, and he's still very much in their grasp. *grimace* So that's why his thoughts are so clunky and why I keep changing how he refers to himself. Thanks for reading, and please review! And remember that I take requests!**

 **Edited 10/24/15: I forgot that I had left their names Russian despite moving the location to Germany.**


	2. Tony and Pepper - Lavi's Revelation

**A/N: Hi! So this is much sooner than intended- *sheepish smile* -and I realized that I forgot to include 'missing scenes' in this. It has now, evidently, been done. This is the missing scene from soon after Lavi's revelation, Tony and Pepper's talk.**

 **Title: You Are My Universe**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Family**

 **Warnings: AU, _!_ _spoilers for Winter Soldier onward,_** ** _spoilers for Agents of SHIELD!_**

 **Summary: Side story to Cosmic Composite, primarily family fluff oneshots and missing scenes.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man, and the Avengers are but a dream that is not my own.**

* * *

 **Lavi: 2 years**

* * *

To the window. The door. The nightstand. The window. The door.

Tony paced furiously around the room, one hand rubbing subconsciously at his chest and the other gesticulating wildly in the air. His shadow, cast in moonlight, was a source of constant motion, while Pepper's was attached firmly to the bed's. At the same time, Tony's voice stood alone in the quiet.

"It didn't even occur to me, Pep! I wouldn't have even thought it was _possible!_ How? I just-" Tony blew out a frustrated breath, and by the time he spoke again, his mind had already moved on. Pepper watched from her place atop the bedspread, curled in a loose ball, sitting up. "And _what the hell_ happened to him? Twenty-three, Pep, _twenty-fucking-three!_ You could tack those years onto the ones he has now and he's _still_ just a kid, why is he _dead?_ How _bad_ was it? Should we be worried about it, should he be, I don't know, seeing a psychologist or something?"

Tony stopped for a brief moment to take a much-needed breath. Pepper never took her eyes off him; her eyes shimmered starlit silver, and she bit her lip.

It was… really, really young. Things happened, of course. Pepper considered. Lavi couldn't see a counselor unless it was… Lavi couldn't see a counselor. But he could talk to them. They would listen. He knew that, right?

That was how Pepper coped, for the most part, by thinking to herself. Tony, on the other hand, thought out loud, letting his panic and worry flow from his mouth.

"Is Lavi even his name?" Tony continued after a moment, voice rising. "What if he doesn't like that name? Maybe he hates it! It's a weird name! What if he wants to be called something else?" He paused, but Pepper wasn't fool enough to think he was done. "Wait, did he say _eighteen seventy-six?_ He's probably even more lost than Cap was! I'm not even sure they had _lightbulbs_ then!"

That was, admittedly, a legitimate worry. Pepper hadn't considered the idea when she'd first come up with the name. How silly of her. The second was also a prudent concern; Steve had been completely lost for his first few months, and remained so with many things even now, years after he woke up.

Tony whirled on Pepper, eyes wide and one step away from total panic.

"Pepper, what if he hates it here? Is he unhappy here? Does he miss his parents? Did he have any siblings, is he lonely? What about friends? And we hardly ever take him out, that can't be good for him-"

And, that was enough venting for Tony. "Tony."

Tony shut his mouth abruptly, going still. Pepper sighed and unballed, reaching up to wipe her eyes, and said, with a voice that came out surprisingly strong and steady,

"JARVIS, is there anything you'd be willing to tell us? Anything at all?"

JARVIS hesitated noticeably, something he hardly ever did. Tony looked up expectantly into one of the room's cameras, breathing rapid and visibly irregular, eyes wide.

"Master Lavi has not had any significant trouble settling in," JARVIS said carefully, lingering over the words in an achingly human way. "He has demonstrated no signs of unhappiness, and he appears comfortable answering to the name Lavi." There was another, much shorter moment of hesitation, and then JARVIS finished, "Master Lavi continues to refer to you as his parents when addressing me, or-" His voice turned cautiously humorous. "-his unnamed stuffed panda."

Tony's breath whooshed out, and despite himself, he smiled wearily and crossed the room yet again, this time to collapse beside Pepper, who leaned into him tiredly. He threw his arm around her shoulders and cast JARVIS a grin.

"Alright, I'm done panicking," he announced.

"Glad to hear it, sir," JARVIS said dryly.

"So mean," Tony whined.

Pepper laughed quietly and Tony pouted at her. Her smile soon faded, though, and Tony's face sobered to match.

"What does that leave?" Pepper asked him, shuffling into the businesslike demeanor that helped her through most of her problems. And Tony's.

"Is his name Lavi?" Tony asked instantly, glancing up at a camera again.

There was a short pause, which stretched nearly into awkwardness before JARVIS stated, "Master Lavi assures me that his name carried over from his previous life."

So Lavi was awake, too, huh?

"Thanks, J. You're a gem." Tony managed a playful smile and a thumbs up. His hand shook, but his eyes were relieved.

"Always happy to ensure that your offspring are willing to answer to their given names." Dry as _dust._

Tony stifled a chuckle. That was right, JARVIS had done this for Dummy, You, and Butterfingers, too, huh?

"We can let him talk about his past life in his own time," Pepper continued, tilting her head to look at Tony, who was focused on her, eyes shining with worry. "I don't want to pressure him."

Tony shook his head immediately. "Right, no, no pressure. Pressure is bad." He winced. "More waiting, huh?"

Pepper smiled at him faintly. "If it starts to look like he's not telling us something very important - something that'll affect him in a bad way - then we can push a little."

Tony nodded slowly. "And a counselor?"

Pepper shrugged helplessly. "We can compile a list, but good luck finding a psychologist that specializes in reincarnated toddlers."

Tony chuckled, though it wasn't really that funny. "And nothing changes?"

"Nothing changes," Pepper agreed. "Not unless he says something."

For a few moments, both of them were silent. Then Pepper sat up again and leaned forward to kiss Tony on the cheek, and moved forward a little to mumble in his ear, "I should have expected something like this when I married you."

Tony blinked, but before he could say anything, Pepper was lying down and closing her eyes. He stared at her for a few moments, and then grinned like a loon.

God, he loved Pepper.

He stood up, half-formed intentions of going to research reincarnation swirling in his mind.

"Tony. Bed."

...Right.

Reluctantly, he laid down beside Pepper as well, wrapped his arms around her, and closed his eyes as well.

Not quite quickly enough, he dropped off to sleep as well, leaving JARVIS silent overhead, watching over the married couple.

"Jawvis?"

He transferred his attention to Master Lavi's room to see the little boy blinking up at him, clearly anxious but undeniably sleepy.

"Yes, Master Lavi?"

"Awe they…" Lavi trailed off, biting his lip uncertainly. JARVIS softened.

"They took it quite well, Master Lavi. They're both asleep now. I am certain Sir and Mrs. Potts will speak to you in the morning."

Lavi stared up for a moment longer, and then smiled. "Tanks, Jawvis."

"It is nothing at all." For the child of the man who made him, JARVIS would do this and much more. For Lavi, JARVIS would do anything he could and then some.

"'Night, Jawvis."

"Goodnight, Master Lavi."

Lavi smiled softly at the ceiling, and then he curled up on his bed and went to sleep. JARVIS was left alone, watching over all three sleeping Starks.

If he could have, he would have smiled.

* * *

 **So that's that, and I hope it was in-character. *laugh* Freaking out about revelations isn't necessarily something I'm good at. Regardless, thanks for reading, and please review!**


	3. Lavi and Pepper - Storytime

**A/N: PEPPER I SWEAR TO GOD**

 **Thank you to karina001, Shadow-X1999, fuckyouperiod, InsanityOwl, MsMusicLover, RMXStudio, XavierForest, Yuki F. Karasu, catzrool, Relena Duo, Evilbunny0, Resident of Wonderland, and guest for reviewing!**

 **Title: You Are My Universe**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Family**

 **Warnings: AU, _!_ _spoilers for Winter Soldier onward,_** ** _spoilers for Agents of SHIELD!_**

 **Summary: Side story to Cosmic Composite, primarily family fluff oneshots and missing scenes.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man, and the Avengers are but a dream that is not my own.**

* * *

 **Lavi: 3 years old**

* * *

Pepper was woken by a tiny body huddling in close to hers, pressing against her and shivering, the covers shifting as he wriggled under them. She sighed softly and reached to pull Lavi a little closer to her.

"Nightmare, sweetie?" she murmured, still half-asleep.

"Y-yeah," he whispered back, hiccuping audibly.

She 'hm'ed and let him stay, though she didn't quite wake up, either; she wasn't sure how late it was, but most likely, it was very, very late.

Tony wasn't around at the moment; he was down in his workshop, working on something for the Avengers, she thought. Probably half-zombie by this point.

Tony was marginally better at dealing with Lavi's nightmares than she was, which wasn't to say she was bad at it. But she worried; both her boys made her worry. She worried about Tony because he was chronically awful at looking after himself, and Lavi… Lavi still didn't like to talk about whatever it was that he remembered.

She hoped he felt safe enough with them to tell them someday.

Pepper had nearly fallen back to sleep when it occurred to her that Lavi hadn't stopped shivering, and he was still tense, breathing too quickly. He was still awake.

She forced her heavy eyelids to open and looked at him, tiny and hunched into her like a cub into a mother lion, fists clenched and face all scrunched up. He looked so upset, and… God, her hand, fingers splayed out, covered at least a third of his tiny back. Her wrist was thicker than his arm.

"Lavi, sweetie? Are you okay?"

Lavi hiccuped again, and she could feel tension ripple through him. "I don' wanna go back to sleep," he whispered finally, one fist reaching up to rub at his eyes.

Pepper considered her options, sighed, and pushed the covers back, sitting up. One hand lingered on Lavi's back, and the other reached up to scrub the tiredness from her face. Finally, she smiled wearily at Lavi, who had opened his eyes to blink up at her in confusion, just visible and gleaming in the darkness.

"Alright. Then we won't."

Lavi blinked again - he must be very tired, she thought with concern, if he was this slow, or else still too shaken up - and then pushed himself up. "'Kay," he said at last, voice small and vulnerable.

"We can go for a walk," Pepper continued, thinking a little slowly herself. "Maybe go up on the roof. Does that sound good?"

He thought for a moment, and then he nodded. She smiled and stood up, and he slid off the bed and trotted over beside her, tilting his head up at her.

She took his hand, and both of them started to walk toward the elevator. FRIDAY opened the doors without being asked, and then started them up toward the roof.

After the darkness of the bedroom, the lights in the elevator were harsh enough to make Pepper squint, and Lavi buried his face in her leg, probably for the same reason. A moment later, they dimmed noticeably, and Pepper smiled at a camera gratefully.

Her lilac silk pajamas still shone in the dimmer light, and the yellow smiley faces on Lavi's footie pajamas stood out against the dark blue background. Pepper stifled a yawn and smiled at him, and he peeked up at her, green eyes gleaming with the threat of tears.

"Let's not tell your father about this. I'm sure he'd throw a fit about being left out," she told him, and he giggled softly and nodded in agreement. The tears spilled over, but he was smiling, and then he hid his face in her leg again, shivers beginning to slow down.

The elevator came to a halt, and the doors opened onto the roof. Lavi peeled himself away from her leg, but clung to her hand with renewed determination.

It was a clear night, but the stars were still invisible for the light pollution. City lights took their place, and the sounds of a bustling city, honking horns and barking dogs and a constant murmur of speech, floated up to them. Pepper took Lavi to sit down on a bench Tony had placed up here, overlooking the city, and Lavi sat on her lap, curled up and head on her shoulder.

"Do you like the sounds of the city?" she had to ask, watching his green eyes sweep curiously over the streets. Lavi nodded.

"Yeah," he answered, voice drifting into the night air. "It like… sounds of people. People from now."

She smiled faintly and informed him, "I've always liked living in the big city; something about… how nothing ever stands still, I suppose. Tony likes it for the same reason." She chuckled. "He's just like New York that way. Never sleeps, always in motion…" She trailed off, and Lavi giggled quietly. He wasn't shaking anymore, even though it was a little cold up here. She probably should have grabbed a jacket for both of them. "Have I ever told you about how Tony and I met?"

He tilted his head up, away from the skyline, to look at her. "No. How?"

"Well, I used to be an accountant for Stark Industries…" She laughed at Lavi's wrinkled nose; apparently he thought it sounded boring. "And I caught a mistake in something he'd given out. So I reported it-"

"An' go' promo'ed?" Lavi asked, all his attention now on her.

"Nope. I got fired." She laughed again as his eyes widened. "So I marched up to your father's office to report the mistake myself, since clearly no one else would - and I planned to give him a piece of my mind, too."

"Wow," Lavi whispered, apparently entranced. "An' did you?"

"Many times," Pepper told him. "But not about that. As soon as I pointed the mistake out to him, he owned right up to it and promoted me on the spot, which is how I became his PA."

"Oh." Lavi pondered that for a moment. "Bu'... You weren' dating then?"

"Not for years," Pepper agreed. "Honestly, it felt more like I was babysitting most of the time." She poked Lavi in the stomach, and he shrieked and giggled obediently, squirming a little. "He was harder to take care of then than you ever were."

"Even though I escape my playpen?" Lavi asked her.

"Even though you escape your playpen," Pepper confirmed ruefully. That had been a long line of heart attacks. And then she continued, "Your father… well, he _tried_ to ask me out first, but…" She chuckled. "He stumbled over so much that I had to finish his sentence for him." Lavi giggled. She smiled fondly. "Tony fumbled through the whole thing, but it turned out well in the end."

"Course!" Lavi agreed with a bright smile. He turned his head into her arm and asked, "And wha' 'bout when you married?"

"He proposed, too," Pepper told him, smiling wistfully at the memory. "I knew it was coming for hours before he popped the question, of course - I think he was fumbling worse then than he did on the first date. And he went the full nine yards and then some - private beach, full orchestra, five-course dinner - and he asked JARVIS for the anniversary date of the first day we'd met."

"'Cause he didn' remember," Lavi summed up, a small, amused grin on his face.

"Of course not," Pepper agreed, fondly exasperated. "He wouldn't be Tony if he'd remembered on his own, but it was sweet of him to think of lining them up like that." She snorted. "Or he just wanted one less date to remember." She paused. "Well, it might have been JARVIS' idea."

Both of them laughed, and Lavi said playfully,

"'M sure Daddy deserve twelve percen' of the credit."

Pepper dissolved into laughter again, Lavi grinning mischievously up at her. After a moment, she reached and tickled Lavi mercilessly at the ribs, making him shriek and thrash, trying to get away, but she held him fast in one arm.

In the end, they were both left breathless and grinning, cheeks flushed with cold and excitement, clinging to each other for dear life.

"Oh, I love you, Lavi," Pepper managed, eyes sparkling, the wind making her red hair flutter around her.

Lavi grinned up at her, bright and happy. "Love you too, Mommy."

They went back to the bedroom just as the sun started to peek over the horizon, and for the first time in a long time, Pepper overslept. Tony found them a few hours later, curled up together on top of the covers, and grinned stupidly for a bit before asking FRIDAY to take a picture.

Somehow, that picture ended up on the living room wall, the start of a collection.

* * *

 ***cough* I have difficulties portraying Pepper. The above characterization is the result of spending over an hour scrolling through the Pepper Potts tag on Tumblr. (Surprisingly good way to get a character down. Doesn't work for Vision, sadly.) Anyway, I feel fairly certain that SOMEONE requested Pepper and Lavi, but evidently it was on Cosmic Composite, not on this, so I can't find out who. (At least now there is Lavi and Pepper - I was feeling bad about neglecting them.) Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	4. Melinda and Lenalee - Activation (DS)

**A/N: Hey, guys! *wave* So I promised some deleted scenes over on Cosmic Composite, and I think I promised someone over here that I would try to make the next one Melinda/Lenalee fluff. (Which, hey, I've been having less trouble with lately - I decided it was less pressing, since there's actually some in the main story now. *laugh*) But regardless, this is a collection of scenes I removed from the main story. Melinda never found out that Lenalee is a reincarnated exorcist, and there has been essentially no plot progression since she and Lenalee returned from vacation. Also, DS will henceforth stand for 'Deleted Scene' in the chapter titles.**

 **Thank you to karina001, kickassdani, Yuki F. Karasu, RMXStudio, InsanityOwl, Resident of Wonderland, Shadow-X1999, Relena Duo, writer of worlds far away, RedHerring1412, and The Other Problem for reviewing!**

 **Title: You Are My Universe**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Family**

 **Warnings: AU, _!_ _spoilers for Winter Soldier onward,_** ** _spoilers for Agents of SHIELD!_**

 **Summary: Side story to Cosmic Composite, primarily family fluff oneshots and missing scenes.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man, and the Avengers are but a dream that is not my own.**

* * *

 **Lenalee: 4 years old**

* * *

Lenalee sat quietly to one side of the busy room, trying very hard to appear invisible.

Coulson was standing still, concentrating, and it was him who Lenalee watched most closely as people bustled around both of them. He was wearing a comm unit that connected directly to Melinda's, and Melinda was currently in the field.

"HYDRA's recent movements are concerning, but not urgent," Coulson coached Melinda, eyes intent on something Lenalee couldn't see. "Don't put yourself at risk for this intel."

Lenalee couldn't hear what Melinda said in reply, of course, but she could imagine. Whatever it was, it made Coulson smile, and Lenalee gave a small smile, too.

Recently, HYDRA had been quite active for an organization theoretically decimated. It had been an increasing concern for SHIELD, and they'd recently gotten a tip on a meeting place. (Lenalee chose not to wonder how they'd acquired this tip.)

Melinda was there now, investigating. And Lenalee was keeping track of her the best she could, because she was worried about her mother. To her relief, the adults in the room seemed to have indeed forgotten her presence, which was the general idea.

Lenalee waited and listened.

* * *

"Alright," Coulson said at last, after about half an hour. "Pull out, Melinda. We're sending a Quinjet for you." He paused, listening, and said, "We'll have to brace ourselves, but it doesn't seem urgent. Come back and we'll talk."

He redirected his attention to the room, and most of them stared expectantly back. Lenalee held her breath, eyes sparkling with delight. It sounded like it had gone well.

"Mack, you pilot, we're going to go get her. Skye-" He smiled a little. "Bring Lenalee, won't you?"

"Yay!" Lenalee rushed forward and grabbed Skye's hand, beaming up at her. Skye smiled reluctantly back, looking amused. "We're gonna see Mommy, right, Skye? Right?"

"That's right," Skye chuckled, reaching down to tickle Lenalee, making her shriek and squirm with laughter. "And she'll be happy to see you, too."

"Haha, s-stop, stop!" Lenalee squealed, batting uselessly at Skye's hand, and Skye grinned at her. "Sk-skye!"

Normally Coulson didn't deliberately bring Skye into contact with Melinda, understanding the difficulties involved, but Lenalee didn't like Mack and Coulson's attention was likely to be elsewhere, and Lenalee was too young to go unsupervised.

"Got it," Skye said to Coulson with a small, false smile, once she let Lenalee go. Coulson gave her a sympathetic nod and then turned away, already back to business.

"Let's go. May's waiting."

It took twenty minutes to get the Quinjet up and running, and in that time, Skye had gotten Lenalee, now four years old, into the jet and settled, wiggling impatiently.

"Mommy's okay, right?" she asked Skye, brown eyes round. Skye gave her a small smile, sympathetic and fond.

"Course she is, Lenalee. Your mom's the best."

Lenalee beamed with pride. "Of course she is! She's Mommy!"

A moment later, she reexamined that thought and paused, frowning. Wait, it didn't work that way. Lenalee _knew_ it didn't work that way. Why…?

Luckily, Skye's attention had been redirected to Coulson and Mack, who were talking quietly at the front of the jet as it took off, hunched over and secretive, angled away from the other inhabitants.

"Sure there's nothing to be worried about?" Mack sounded dubious, though he didn't look back.

"Not… exactly," Coulson admitted reluctantly, mouth twisting slightly in a grimace. "But I think we have some time."

"…If you say so, sir." Just because he'd agreed to stay on didn't mean all was forgotten, and two years hadn't eased Mack's doubts. Lenalee sometimes wondered why he'd stayed on. She suspected guilt was at fault; Mack looked at Coulson's mechanical hand far more often than was strictly necessary.

It took half an hour to reach the pickup point, and Melinda was waiting just outside town, arms crossed and waiting. As soon as the door was open, Lenalee darted up to her and jumped, and Melinda caught her with practiced ease.

"Mommy!" Lenalee beamed, holding tight to Melinda, thrilled to see her. Melinda smiled at her, warm and amused.

"What are you doing here, baby girl? Shouldn't you be at the Helicarrier?" Though her tone didn't change, the pointedness of the comment wasn't lost on either Coulson or Lenalee.

"I wanted to see you!" Lenalee pouted, and Melinda chuckled.

"I wasn't gone two hours, Lenalee. You would've been fine."

Lenalee knew that, but she couldn't bring herself to care. To her, it may as well have been an eternity. Certainly it was far too long.

She huffed, letting herself act as childish as she felt. "But!" She buried her face in Melinda's side, relishing in the familiar warmth. "Wanted to!"

Melinda chuckled again and pried Lenalee off her so they could enter the jet, holding her hand without thinking. Her eyes alighted upon Skye and cooled slightly, but lightened again at Coulson and Mack.

"You have about as much reason to be here as Lenalee, Coulson," she pointed out, but it wasn't as stern as she'd intended, and Coulson smiled.

"I thought you'd want to talk business as soon as possible," he explained easily. Melinda's smile vanished into a serious look and she nodded, sitting down across from Coulson, Lenalee curled up beside her, quiet and content, and they took off again.

A look from Melinda, and Skye came over to engage Lenalee in conversation, enticing her to chatter about a new coloring book she'd been wanting, a fantasy one with goblins and dragons, head still leaning against Melinda's arm.

Now, while that would work with a real four-year-old, Lenalee herself was still listening, just like she knew Skye was.

"They're planning an attack on SHIELD, probably within the next month," Melinda explained, fingers carding through Lenalee's hair but attention on Coulson. Lenalee didn't react, describing to Skye the pretty dragon she'd seen on the cover. Not that Skye was really listening.

"What kind?" Coulson returned, brow furrowed, clearly already thinking quickly.

"Probably aerial – we'll have to be careful, watch the skies." Lenalee wished she could help. Aerial was her specialty.

"Got it. We have some air-to-air weapons left, we'll get those ready." Coulson was contemplative, going over his options, and Melinda snorted.

"That's the _least_ we should do."

The plane shuddered. All talking stopped.

"Mack?" Coulson called after a few moments, concerned.

"Wasn't me," Mack said, suddenly tense. "What the hell…?"

 _"Hey, SHIELD agents."_

Everyone in the jet stiffened; they recognized that voice. Lenalee looked up, eyes wide.

 _"Looks like you have some pretty important people on that jet."_

Another jet appeared abruptly, very, very close. It must have been cloaked, and Mack, distracted by the conversation behind him, hadn't noticed.

 _"Now, normally I'd offer a chance for you to get away and get the message out. Unfortunately, I'm HYDRA now, and that's not how HYDRA works."_

The jet visibly armed itself. Mack cursed, but it was too close to get away effectively – all he could do was minimize the damage, and the maneuvers that would take weren't easy. The plane banked hard, and Lenalee squeaked softly and held on to Melinda, cheek pressed into the woman's arm, frightened.

 _"And when I say I'm HYDRA? I mean I am HYDRA – within a year I'll be the head that grew after the last one was cut. Your fault, by the way, thanks. Thanks for Kara."_

The transmission cut, and Melinda cursed quietly, while Skye stared with wide, startled eyes at the speaker. For a few more moments, there was tense quiet.

The enemy jet fired, and Mack yelled. A moment later, a hole was blown in the side of the Quinjet. Suddenly there was a lot more cursing, and no time to worry about what Ward had said as falling to Earth became an immediate, dire concern.

"Mack!" Coulson called, and Mack damn near snarled at him, not looking back. "There's a bare cliff to our eight!"

"Got it!" Mack answered through gritted teeth, and he made a sharp turn, banking hard. Nothing vital had been hit, but there was still a gaping hole in the side of their plane, and the pressure was immense, pulling and tugging and hungry.

Skye had one hand on Lenalee and the other to something solid, teeth gritted and eyes squinting. Lenalee held onto both Skye and Melinda, eyes tightly shut, more frightened of the ground than she had been in years.

Then Melinda, far too close to the hole, started to slip.

"May!" Coulson called, making half a move to rise, but of course that was pointless. All that happened was that he met Melinda's wide eyes as she slipped out and was shot into the open air.

Lenalee's eyes shot open and she looked down, and a cry ripped from her throat. Without a second thought, she let go, shoved Skye's hand off of her, and followed Melinda out the hole, wind rushing around her.

* * *

There was no fear in Lenalee. No panic. Just the calm focus she remembered from when she'd done… so many things. She had two objectives.

Get to Melinda May before she hit the ground. And activate her dormant Innocence.

"No!"

The cry was an echo, Skye and Coulson and Mack, but Lenalee wasn't paying attention, squinting brown eyes focused only on the falling stick figure of Melinda, tumbling through the air to the trees far, far below.

 _Please._

She knew how to do this, how to fall fast, and she angled herself just right. She had to catch up, she had to catch her mother, please. Her shoes, loose flats, tumbled off her feet and spiraled away, leaving tiny bare toes and harsh stigmata exposed to the air.

 _Please, Innocence. I know you're there. I know you can hear me._

She was catching up, but it was slow. The wind whipped her hair around, slapping her face, cold and harsh and biting, nipping at her bare toes. The ground was far below, but it was approaching fast. She gritted her teeth and focused, defying God to deny her this.

 _I know you don't need me anymore. But I need you._

There were a few stray clouds, wet and freezing cold, and she shot through, needing to keep Melinda in sight, needing to catch her. She was almost there.

 _Please, Innocence, I need to save her. I need to save Mom. I can't let her die. Not like…_

There she was! Lenalee reached out to Melinda's wide eyes, shocked, and Melinda said something that was snatched away by the wind. Lenalee didn't hear, and she wrapped her arms around her mother the best she could, burying her face in her back, shaking slightly with cold and shock and pain.

 _Not like I let my brother. My friends. Not like I let myself die._

 _I won't let them die. Not this time. Never again._

She'd caught Melinda, now she just needed to break their fall. She slid up to hook her arms underneath Melinda's, and Melinda's hand wrapped around hers, craning her neck to look at her with pain and regret and fear.

 _I don't care if it costs me my legs, my arms, my childhood, my life. Just let me save them._

A green glow erupted behind Lenalee's eyes, and strength surged through her arms. She flinched, face scrunching up, as she felt her stigmata burst, blood pouring out and surrounding her bare feet, hot and wet. Instantly, she felt lightheaded, both from relief and from blood loss, but her deadly focus didn't fade. She'd operated under far worse conditions, and while her body was vulnerable, her mind was still strong.

She could feel the exact moment when it finished, when her Dark Boots formed completely, hardening into place, and she smiled into Melinda's hair, tears glittering, unseen.

 _Thank you._

She spun and pulled up, and cried out in pain as she felt her muscles wrench with Melinda's weight – Innocence or not, she was still only four years old, with tiny, skinny arms not yet ready for work. But she wasn't letting go. Not for anything.

She looked up, searching out the Quinjet. She found it still veering unsteadily, but it had almost landed on the cliff Coulson had indicated, and she directed herself there, feeling the pressure of Melinda's arms on hers, heavy and bruising.

It was a miracle that she reached it, unsteady and taxed as she was. They were barely over the solid rock before she let Melinda down, the woman's feet hitting the ground, and slipped down after, leaning heavily against her mother, panting softly with exertion and relief, eyes fluttering shut and cheek on her hip, hands fisted lightly in her clothes.

She'd saved her. Melinda was okay. Melinda was okay.

Lenalee tilted her head up to look at Melinda, smiling, and then faltered in confusion.

Melinda was staring at her, wide-eyed. Lenalee looked past her. Skye was staring. Coulson was staring. Mack was staring.

Staring at _her._ Shocked. Slowly, very slowly, Lenalee looked down, to the green glow rolling off her boots, her feet, to the butterflies fluttering proudly at their backs.

Oh. _Oh._

Fear flooded into her system where it had been absent before, nearing panic, and she released Melinda and stepped back, staring up at her in barely-restrained terror.

"Lenalee," Melinda breathed, and she reached for her daughter, faltering only slightly.

Lenalee didn't think, she just reacted. Her body moved without her permission, stepping back off the cliff, and she gasped out, "Sonic Wind!"

 _Ow._

Lenalee whimpered softly as she was jerked back, far harder than her fragile body could handle, and she could _feel_ her insides being jolted around, sore and sickening. Her head hurt now, too, and she felt dizzy, her vision suddenly blurry as she turned end-over-end and ended up barely upright again, staring at the people she'd just fled.

 _Mom hates people with powers. Oh, no, what have I done? She's going to be so mad, she's so mad, she's mad at me, I'm sorry!_

"Lenalee!" Melinda called, stepping out as far as she dared, eyes wide and more alarmed than Lenalee had ever seen them, hand outstretched like she thought she could reach Lenalee past the distance. Her voice came out shaken and frantic. "Lenalee, come down from there!"

Lenalee whimpered, arms wrapped around herself, legs steady beneath her despite her dizziness. She shook her head tearfully.

The others had hurried forward as soon as Lenalee had shot back, and now stood just back from Melinda, staring at her again with any number of different expressions, different reactions.

Coulson, for his part… Well, suddenly he understood a lot more about Lenalee's recent questions. If she'd known this would happen…

Melinda was thoroughly rattled, hand frozen in front of her, eyes focused on her daughter, crying and too far to reach, suspended in midair by… Something she'd produced herself. By a power.

Lenalee was…

And then she caught the strained expression on Lenalee's face, the telltale signals of pain and fear, and the thought was shoved aside for later.

She took a deep breath and forced her voice to come out steady and reassuring. She had to remember her priorities, and the first priority was getting Lenalee to come down safe.

"Come down," she repeated, loud enough to carry but not a shout. Her voice cracked in her panic. "Baby girl, come down from there, listen to me. You're hurt."

Lenalee shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "No!" she cried back, a note of hysteria tinging her already high voice. "I don't want to! I don't want to go in quarantine! _I won't let you trap me!"_

Melinda's heart just about stopped in her chest – _of course_ – but she kept her voice forcefully steady, not dropping her hand. "I won't let that happen."

"You _hate_ powered people!" Lenalee screamed. There was definitely hysteria in her voice now, and Melinda couldn't see her eyes; she'd ducked her head, but she was shaking, violent and unsteady, panting painfully.

 _"What if_ I _had powers, Mommy?"_

Well, this was what Melinda got for cutting corners with her daughter, and resolutely, she promised herself never to do it again. But first she had to fix her mistake. She had to get Lenalee back safe.

But Skye stepped forward first. She didn't reach out – there were a lot of people who flinched when she did that now, and she'd stopped altogether – but her gaze was intent and plaintive.

"I got out fine, Lenalee," she persuaded. "You will, too." She smiled a little, trying to be reassuring. "Don't worry, they love you at SHIELD."

"They put you in quarantine!" Lenalee tried to scream, but it was more of a cry, wet and distressed.

Lenalee was crying. At this distance, it was a little hard to tell, but she was. She couldn't see straight, her vision swimming, and her head hurt, it was hard to think. She could feel the toll her Innocence was taking on her body, making her feverish and sore and exhausted. She should deactivate. She should have deactivated as soon as she'd landed.

But she was scared.

"Skye's powerful," Mack said, trying to reason with her, worry clear in his eyes, though Lenalee was too far to make it out. "She needs to be watched, we're just being careful. But you-"

Lenalee didn't want to hear it, and she cut him off.

 _"You're wrong!"_ Her voice was hoarse and harsh and it broke somewhere in the middle, scraping her throat bloody. "You're wrong! Skye- Skye's strong, but…" She coughed. "You have SHIELD on your side." Was the blur in her vision from dizziness or tears? "And… and in a fight between an organization and a superhuman… The organization _always wins!"_

That drew more stares, because that wasn't a four-year-old speaking, not a chance in hell. Then they were distracted again as Lenalee started coughing and couldn't quite stop, harsh and painful and weakening fast.

Melinda took a deep breath. She could do this. _She could do this._

"You are _my_ daughter, Lenalee," she reminded the little girl, who was staring at her through half-lidded eyes, hugging herself and listing in midair, butterflies fluttering at her feet, still coughing weakly. "And nothing is going to change that. I'll protect you, and I'll do whatever it takes." Her eyes were serious and sincere. "I swear it."

Lenalee panted and stared at her, and for a few long moments, Melinda wasn't even sure the little girl had heard her, she looked so out of it. But then Lenalee exhaled sharply, and she started to wobble down unsteadily. Melinda held her other hand out, praying internally that Lenalee would reach her before she fell.

She did, but just barely. As soon as she was within Melinda's reach, the green light flashed again, and she dropped down, light as a feather, into Melinda's hands. Melinda drew her back instantly, close against her chest.

Lenalee's breathing was heavy and labored, a slight wheeze just audible to Melinda's ears. Her boots dissolved and wrapped themselves into two neat red rings, which dangled around her ankles, leaving her feet bare, and Melinda could see that same red color coating Lenalee's lips, trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"Lenalee," Melinda said sharply, and Lenalee reluctantly looked up at her, eyes glazed. "Don't go to sleep."

Behind her, she could hear Coulson calling for pickup and a medical team, but her attention was on Lenalee, who was staring at her blankly.

"Lenalee, look at me," she commanded, shifting slightly to hold the little girl's head up, eyes fixed on hers. "Focus."

Lenalee blinked once, and then she sighed softly, and her eyes slipped shut as she relaxed suddenly. Melinda's widened slightly, and her mouth tightened.

"Lenalee! Don't go to sleep! Wake up!"

* * *

Lenalee was alone in the quarantine room. Now, without the disturbed thought process and the panic from before, it wasn't quite as distressing, but she was still laying very still, staring blankly at the ceiling while her shoulders ached fiercely, feeling miserable. One wrist was bound to her bed, though she never attempted to break the bond.

She wasn't that little girl anymore.

"So, what is it? Memory transfer? Superhuman intelligence? Reincarnation? Possession?"

She didn't look over, but she recognized Coulson's voice, loud and clear and dangerously placid. She couldn't summon the will to care anymore about keeping her secret, though.

"Reincarnation," she said softly, brown eyes still on the ceiling, short brown hair splayed across the pillow. Eerily familiar. "When I died, it was January of 1875. And before you ask, I don't know how it happened. I just woke up, right after I was born." She glanced at him now, eyes dim, and Coulson visibly winced at her expression, concern overtaking everything else for a brief moment. "You came in a few minutes later."

Coulson looked surprised that she remembered, and for a few long moments, he was thinking, mulling that over. Adapting, Lenalee supposed. Her gaze slid back to the ceiling.

"What were you planning to do?" he asked finally. Looking after SHIELD's best interests, of course.

"I wanted to make you less afraid of people with powers," she replied, misery tightening her voice out of its tonelessness. "And… eventually, I was going to join SHIELD. If I thought it'd turn out alright."

He studied her for a few more painful moments, thoughtful, and then asked, "How old were you? When you died?"

Lenalee finally reacted, head turning to look at him, faintly confused. She winced at the slight pull of her shoulder, and wondered why he cared.

"I would have turned twenty in four more months," she said at last, not breaking his gaze, a small, puzzled frown on her face. _Why does it matter?_

"Pretty young," Coulson said cautiously, examining her face for warning signs, but he found only confusion. "How did it happen?"

Her face tightened again, dismay and pain and a little bit of anger dancing across it. It didn't suit her little face. Coulson looked like he was about to take it back, but no, Lenalee wanted him to hear this.

"The people I worked for," she said, with a careful pace and measured words and a tone that was too mature and too bitter, "had me killed. Me, and… probably all of my friends. Because they were afraid of our _powers."_ Resentment coated the words like sticky sap. "I could barely walk by myself, and they still sent three people to slit my throat." The pain and the dismay and the anger dropped away, and worry clouded her eyes. She bit her lip and looked away. "I don't… I don't want SHIELD to do that. I don't want you to be that person, Uncle Phil. I don't want Mom to be that hateful face." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And… I don't want Skye to be that girl in the snow, drowning in blood because she's _'too dangerous to have around normal humans'."_ Tied up and on her knees, trying to get up because she had to save her friends, she had to save her brother… Her eyes stung. She didn't want to remember this. She didn't want to remember this anymore.

"You're scared," Coulson said quietly, gaze unwavering, but definitely concerned as he looked at the little girl he thought of as a niece, trying not to wince at the graphic description of her own death, which brought back too-vivid memories of his own.

"Yeah," Lenalee confirmed, voice cracking, tears starting to glimmer in her eyes. "I'm scared. I don't… I don't want Mom to hate me." She looked over at Coulson, eyes wide and frightened. "Uncle Phil… how mad is she? Really?"

"She's not mad," Coulson said instantly, and he saw the doubt crease Lenalee's face. "I promise. She's upset that you never told her, and she's scared that she doesn't really know you, but she's not mad." He watched Lenalee bite her lip and look away, and added, "She was watching this over video, and as soon as I leave, she's going to come in. Do you want to see her now?"

Lenalee's eyes jerked to his, but after a moment her face crumpled again and she nodded hesitantly. "Yes," she whispered.

Coulson nodded and wished he could reassure her better, but instead he stood up and left.

Sure enough, within a minute, Melinda had entered the room, eyes on Lenalee, who was sitting up now, still-bare feet dangling off the side of the bed, giving her an anxious look and rubbing her shoulder gingerly. Melinda sat in the chair Coulson had just vacated, placing a small bag under it, and for a few moments, there was silence.

Finally, Lenalee broke it. "How long will I be in here?" she asked without looking up, voice as quiet as if she were afraid it would break the glass and cause it to scatter around them.

"Simmons is doing your bloodwork," Melinda replied, watching Lenalee where Lenalee wasn't looking at her. "As soon as we're sure there's nothing dangerous to anyone else, or anything infectious, you can come out."

"There's nothing infectious or dangerous to you," Lenalee told her, brown eyes on her ankles, where the red rings still dangled – there didn't seem to be a way to get them off without breaking her ankle. "There's Innocence in my blood now." She glanced up suddenly, tentative in a way that made Melinda's mouth tighten with regret. "Um… this, it's, um. It's Innocence." She gestured to the anklets. "And my red blood cell count is, um, higher."

Melinda's face softened slightly at Lenalee's nervousness, but she kept her resolution and said, "We'll wait for confirmation on that." A moment of hesitation, barely noticeable, but still enough to make Lenalee tilt her head up in concern and curiosity. "What was your old family like?"

Lenalee's face melted into something pensive. "I don't remember my parents," Lenalee said, after a long moment, crossing her legs at the ankle and gaze drifting to somewhere over Melinda's shoulder. "But my brother… his name was Komui, and… he loved me enough to follow me halfway across the world. I knew he'd do anything for me, and he made good on that promise, so many times." _And I couldn't save him._

Lenalee didn't look four years old. She was too sad, too pensive, too regretful for it, and for a moment, Melinda wondered how she'd never noticed.

Melinda took a deep breath and a moment to mull that over, and then asked, a little more stiff as her mind roiled and tossed and turned, "So what are those? What can you do with them? You called them Innocence." She nodded at Lenalee's feet.

Lenalee started, and a very small, shy smile broke across her face, eyes returning to Melinda's. "They're my Innocence," she explained, uncrossing her legs and letting them dangle again. "Their name is Dark Boots, and I can fly with them." She giggled, the sound light and childish. "I'm sure you noticed that."

Melinda shared a reluctant smile with her, and then Lenalee continued.

"I can fly at the speed of sound if I want – that was Sonic Wind." She smiled ruefully. "I shouldn't have done that – it wasn't necessary and I wasn't ready." She shook her head at herself, and then went on, "And I can walk on liquid like it was land – that's called Water Shackles. And the last one is Iron Shackles." She shrugged. "Those basically make me fall really hard and fast."

Melinda mulled that over for a few more long moments, and Lenalee could see her making the effort, not reacting with any sort of fear or apprehension that Lenalee could see, and she smiled softly.

"What do you see me as?" Melinda asked at last, without breaking her position as she continued absorbing what Lenalee had told her.

The question alone made Lenalee tear up again. "You've _always_ been my mother," she said, a hint of a plea to her voice, and Melinda looked over to her and smiled slightly, making Lenalee relax, tears still threatening to spill, breath hitching and uneven.

Then Melinda leaned over and reached for the bag she'd tucked under her chair, and she held up a coloring book. "Unless you were only pretending to like these?" she prompted, with a slight smile and a raised eyebrow.

It had a pretty, colorful dragon on the front, and a number of little angry goblins all around it.

Lenalee's eyes widened slightly, hope and delight leaking into her eyes, and she nodded quickly. Melinda smiled and placed it into the drawer, along with a box of crayons and Lenalee's little stuffed rabbit.

Lenalee beamed at her, and Melinda smiled back, looking on as Lenalee hurried to the little compartment and pulled the little things out.

Lenalee chose the rabbit first and hugged it to herself, a smile peeking out at Melinda from behind the rabbit's ears.

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully, and it wasn't just for the rabbit and the book.

* * *

 **I actually wrote this a really long time ago, but I'm pretty pleased with it nonetheless. (I was very sad when I had to take it out.) As promised: This scene was deleted because it no longer worked. It made far more sense for Lenalee to tell Melinda when she did, and the plot, everything, was moving to slowly because apparently I forgot that plot progression and character development were things? Whatever, I don't know. Anyway, this was the original scene for both the way Lenalee's secret was revealed, and her Innocence activated. Obviously, neither of these apply now. (Even the reunion will happen sooner than originally planned - I think I originally had it scheduled two years after this occurred.) Anyway, someone else has requested Lenalee and Coulson, and I'll try to do that next. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	5. Allen, Steve, Natasha - Infancy (DS)

**A/N: Hello again! *smile* I'm back with more deleted scenes now. This time, it's Allen, Steve, and Natasha, before XavierForest reminded me that Natasha was infertile. Kanda has not arrived yet, and neither has Scott.**

 **Thank you to Yuki F. Karasu, InsanityOwl, Shadow-X1999, fuckudamnperiod, karina001, MsMusicLover, RMXStudio, jy24, Shadow Spears, and guest for reviewing!**

 **Title: You Are My Universe**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Family**

 **Warnings: AU, _!_ _spoilers for Winter Soldier onward,_** ** _spoilers for Agents of SHIELD!_**

 **Summary: Side story to Cosmic Composite, primarily family fluff oneshots and missing scenes.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man, and the Avengers are but a dream that is not my own.**

* * *

 **Allen: Newborn**

* * *

"One hell of a Christmas gift," Allen heard as he opened his eyes, looking up into the warm eyes of a redhaired woman, who looked exhausted but pleased.

"You said it," a blond man beside her chuckled, and reached out to nudge one of Allen's hands with his finger, smiling at him warmly. "Hey, angel."

Allen stared at him, eyes wide. _Is this… was I…?_

Oh.

"Allen," the woman said to the man, and it sounded like a reminder.

"Allen," the man amended, and then continued, "Welcome to the family."

He squeezed Allen's left arm gently, and Allen noticed that it was black and hard, like his left arm before. His eyes widened a little more, and a little bit of hope started to form in his chest.

 _Can I have a family?_

* * *

They were in a hospital room, Allen registered. He could smell the chemicals, and no other room would be so sterilized.

Natasha was holding him like something precious, like she was worried he might break. And Steve was still smiling at him, thumb stroking gently over the back of his left hand.

"You're certainly something," Steve said to him, and Allen blinked up at him quizzically. "Never seen a kid like you before." He chuckled fondly. "It figures."

"You think it might have something to do with the serum?" Natasha asked, a slight furrow in her brow. She looked concerned. Allen turned his head the best he could and emitted a high-pitched sound of confusion.

"Maybe the hair and the arm," Steve admitted, smile fading. "But I don't know how the serum could result in a birthmark like that." His hand reached out to brush gently down the left side of Allen's face, and Allen winced away with a sound of protest.

Oh. So his curse had followed him. He should have known that even reincarnation wouldn't let him escape it.

Natasha shifted Allen slightly, and his whole perspective changed, and he felt small and vulnerable. "It doesn't matter," she said sternly. "We'll work it out." She raised one eyebrow. "Won't we, Captain?"

Steve chuckled ruefully. "Of course we will," he agreed, amused. "You wouldn't settle for anything less."

Allen heard a knock at the door, and a voice called, "Hey, are you gonna keep us out here in suspense forever?"

"Oh, I don't know," Natasha called back, smirking slightly. "He's just too cute, I'm not sure we can share."

"She's calling him cute, I think we've lost her," the voice said to someone else, and Steve chuckled and said,

"Come on in, don't worry about it."

The door opened, and Allen was shifted again so he could look at the door and the people now entering.

Four people entered, three men and one woman, at least one of which probably wasn't human.

Steve looked down at Allen and smiled. "Allen, this is Vision, James Rhodes – his friends call him Rhodey – Sam, and Wanda."

"Nah!" Allen greeted them, waving one hand. (That was a shame, he'd tried to wave both. Apparently his paralysis was about as escapable as his curse.)

"Whoa," Rhodey said, leaning down to look at him. "Not just the arm, then, huh?"

Allen's smile faded, and he let his hand drop. Rhodey grinned at him reassuringly.

"Hey, don't be like that. We don't mind differences 'round here, do we, Vision?"

"They do not," Vision affirmed, giving Allen a serious look. He knelt down in front of him and studied him very closely, and Allen blinked back. _Definitely not human,_ Allen decided. Given that half his head appeared to be metal and the rest was red. "The world is very new, is it not, Allen?"

"Ooh!" Allen was amused and sort of wished he could reply back. Vision looked confused at the incoherent response.

"Babies can't talk, Vision. He doesn't even know what you're saying," Sam explained, also looking amused. Shows what he knew. "Hey, Allen. Looks to me like you have about as much chance of being normal as your parents, huh?"

"He is so small," Vision mused, apparently ignoring Sam's last statement. "Is this normal for human infants, Captain?"

"Yeah, it is," Steve affirmed, chuckling softly. "Don't worry. He'll get big fast."

Wanda was hanging back, looking rather uncertain and extremely nervous. Natasha noticed and beckoned her forward.

"Come on, Maximoff. If you don't introduce yourself, how will he know who you are?"

Allen looked at her curiously, and Wanda hesitantly shuffled forward to look at him tentatively.

"Hello, Allen," she finally said softly. "My name is Wanda. I am a friend."

Allen beamed at her and waved again. "Ah!" he said happily.

* * *

"Steve, you don't have to wait for me."

Natasha's voice was warm and amused. Steve chuckled sheepishly, and Allen crooned as he was passed from Natasha's arms to Steve's.

It had been… a few days, maybe, and Allen hadn't yet seen the outside of the infirmary. He kept falling asleep, and he felt nice and warm and pleased, and every so often Sam or Vision or Wanda would visit.

"Are you sure?" Steve sounded a little anxious. Natasha laughed at him.

"I'm not going to break while you're not looking, solnyshko. Go show Allen around. I'm sure he's getting bored."

He sort of was, actually.

"Alright, Tasha." Steve still sounded a little reluctant, but he leaned over and Allen heard a soft kissing sound, and then crooned again as Steve stood up and the world rushed by. "Okay, Allen, let's go look around."

Allen looked up, and Steve was smiling at him. It was a bright, happy smile, more honest than maybe any Allen had ever seen. Allen beamed back and waved his arm, and Steve laughed.

"I won't be half an hour," Steve promised Natasha, and Natasha waved him off dismissively. A moment later, they were out the door, and Allen blinked wide eyes at the wash of new sights. While his eyes flicked around, Steve was talking to him in a soft, gentle voice.

"Let this be a lesson to you, Allen; always do as your mother says." He chuckled. Allen cooed, amused at Steve's antics. "Now, I know how overwhelming new places can be, but bear with me, okay?"

Steve kept talking all through, showing Allen room after room - a gym, a lounge, a meeting room - and Allen cooed and wriggled and wondered.

Steve was a _superhero,_ he realized with awe. More, he was nice, and gentle, and everyone liked him and he was strong and he was Allen's _father._ Allen had _parents._

Allen cooed happily, more content than should be possible in this strange situation, and Steve paused to grin down at him, then kept going.

While he watched the lights pass by above him, Allen mulled it all over again, still as incredulous as he had been the first time. His happiness dimmed slightly.

His friends. Lenalee, Kanda, Lavi, everyone- had he left them behind? Would he ever see them again?

Logically, he didn't think he would. But there was something else, something in the back of his mind - what if _they were here, too?_

He clung to that thought with everything he had, and felt, with a strange certainty, that it was true, _that he wasn't alone._ He burbled at Steve, who chuckled.

"Alright, Allen, last thing," Steve said to him, bouncing the boy gently. Allen squealed. "I hope you like it."

Intrigued, Allen turned his head slightly, and the door opened.

The walls were painted a soft butter yellow. There was a crib against one wall, and a wooden dresser close by. A tall changing table by a bright window. A shorter table with a lamp. And a short shelf, stacked with books and a few stuffed animals, a bear and a cat and a rabbit. There were pictures on the walls, Rhodey and Wanda and Steve and Natasha and Vision and Sam, and people he didn't recognize, all grinning and laughing.

"This is your nursery," Steve explained, looking pleased and proud. "You'll sleep here soon. Do you like it?" Allen squealed, wriggling again. _Was this really for him?_ Steve smiled. "That's great."

Steve stuck around for a few minutes more, just enough time for Vision to peek in and look curious.

"Captain?" Vision questioned.

Steve started and looked up, and then he smiled. "Hey, Vision. I was just showing Allen around."

"Ah!" Allen waved. Vision was sort of funny, and he liked him.

Vision smiled warmly. "Ah, I see. Your little one." For a brief moment, he hesitated. "May I… see him?"

Understanding crossed Steve's face, and he smiled warmly. "Of course. Just be careful, alright? Do you know how to hold a baby?"

Vision nodded, and when he received Allen, his arms were cold but gentle, like he was holding an egg he didn't want to break. Allen blinked up at him.

"Hello, Allen," Vision greeted him, like he was an adult again. "It has been a day and a half since last I saw you. Are you well?"

"Oohn!" Allen appreciated that, actually. He wasn't sure he liked being talked at like a baby; Sam tended to do that and it was pretty uncomfortable.

"That is good," Vision nodded, a faint smile flickering across his face. "I am well also." He glanced up, into the room. "Your mother and father worked very hard on your room. There was some arguing, I believe." Another smile, just as brief. "It was resolved, however."

"Did you want something, Vision?" Steve asked, recapturing the android's - a term Allen had heard from Rhodey - attention.

Vision was distracted from Allen and nodded, face turning serious. "Yes. I meant to ask how you and Mrs. Romanov intended to handle missions."

Realization dawned on Steve's face, and Allen tilted his head and made a soft, confused noise. "Oh, right, Tasha and I never told you. We were planning on trading off; one of us will lead the mission and the other will stay behind and take care of Allen. We'll see about finding a babysitter eventually, but I think we'd both rather be safe than sorry for now."

"I see," Vision agreed, brow creased slightly. "I would be willing to help, were it required of me."

Steve smiled. "Thanks, Vision. We'll keep that in mind." He held his hands out. "Now, can I have my son back? I don't want to leave Natasha alone for too long."

Vision nodded seriously. "Of course." He looked down, meeting Allen's eyes with a small, but kind smile. "I will see you another time, Allen Rogers."

Allen Rogers?

...Allen liked that.

* * *

Natasha liked to watch Steve play with Allen. She almost liked it more than playing with Allen herself - Steve had always been adorable, and this only magnified when he played with little Allen. Right now, he'd finished tying a bright paper fish, a shiny ball of tinfoil, and a small rattle each to a separate length of string, and he was dangling them over his son, watching him bat at it. Down time didn't come very often, but they made the most of what they had.

In the meantime, they were trading off heading the ongoing missions and watching Allen - they didn't yet have anyone they trusted to watch him.

"That's it, Allen," Steve encouraged, with a bright, warm smile on his face, holding up the rattle, string twisted around his finger. "What's making that sound? That's right, you're making that sound."

Allen beamed at him; he had Steve's smile, Natasha noted fondly, one that could light up a room. She smiled, too, content watch her boys play from a few feet away.

Allen was lying on a blanket, spread out across the floor, in a little pastel onesie. His left arm stood out in sharp contrast to the rest of him, stark against the pale colors, limp and unmoving, and his birthmark stood out just as much, dark and jagged.

But he was smiling, silver eyes crinkled in delight as his right arm reached out and batted at the rattle again, missing twice before he struck it and laughed at the sound it made.

"What is it? What's making that sound, Allen? That's right, you're making that sound! Good job, Allen!"

"You're almost more excited than he is," Natasha noted with amusement. Steve looked up and adopted a slightly more sheepish smile, though it didn't dim in the slightest.

"Yeah, maybe," he admitted, chuckling. "But I wanted this for a long time, you know. A kid, I mean."

Natasha smiled. "I know you did," she replied simply. She hadn't wanted a family quite like Steve had, but she loved little Allen, and she loved how happy they made Steve. Her smile morphed into a small smirk. "You certainly read enough childcare books." She wasn't going to mention her own forays into child-related products.

Steve scratched the back of his neck and chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Well, I didn't want to mess up." The smile dimmed a little. "God knows the team has enough of that."

Natasha's quirked a little strangely in response, and she crossed her arms. "Well, that's true. But somehow I don't think Allen is going to need to worry about that."

Steve smiled again, reassured. "No. No, I guess not." He looked back at Allen, who was looking at him with curious silver eyes, and switched from the rattle to the crumpled tinfoil. Experimentally, Allen reached up and batted at that too. After the first few tries, Steve unsubtly lowered it so it was easier to get at, and Allen hit it with a delighted squee. Steve smiled. "Look at it sparkle, Allen! Isn't it shiny? Watch it spin!"

"Should I…?"

Natasha looked up to find Wanda hovering in the hallway, looking uncomfortable. She smiled and waved her over, and after a few minutes, Wanda came and sat beside her, stiff and tense. Natasha politely ignored this.

"Evening, Wanda," she said, watching as Steve smiled at Wanda in greeting and then returned his attention to Allen. "Did you come to watch my husband crouch down and play with the baby, or did you want something?"

"I, um." Wanda seemed transfixed by the image of Captain America making funny faces at a tiny baby. "I… wondered… Why you wanted a child."

Natasha raised an eyebrow at her, and then let a smirk curl her lips. "I don't really seem the type, do I?"

"No," Wanda agreed, still looking uncomfortable, but starting to relax.

Natasha considered for a long moment. She didn't much like baring any part of herself, even less when it involved her family, but Wanda was quiet and withdrawn, still having trouble connecting with the team, forming relationships.

Well, giving her _something_ didn't mean Natasha had to give her everything.

* * *

 **And that's where I stopped writing - I had some other scenes that I was storing up to put in later, and I'll put those up... next week, probably. (It's mostly Kanda and tinier-than-usual Allen, with some Lavi later on.) Also, to the person who requested Allen/Kanda/Lavi Christmas story - I'm working on it. Sort of. *sheepish smile* (Though it's February, I don't know if you still want it. *laugh*) Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	6. Kanda, Allen, Parents - Early Years (DS)

**A/N: Hey! More deleted scenes for you. Kanda's arrival happened approximately the same way that it did in the main story, with some obvious exception.**

 **Thank you to InsanityOwl, frodalulz, RMXStudio, karina001, danm'uperiod, IncredibleIdiosyncrasies, Resident of Wonderland, jy24, Katherine Sanderson, Relena Duo, Shadow Spears, Shadow-X1999, AnimeWarrioress 359, and guest for reviewing!**

 **Title: You Are My Universe**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Family**

 **Warnings: AU, _!_ _spoilers for Winter Soldier onward,_** ** _spoilers for Agents of SHIELD!_**

 **Summary: Side story to Cosmic Composite, primarily family fluff oneshots and missing scenes.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man, and the Avengers are but a dream that is not my own.**

* * *

 **Allen: A few months to about two years**

 **Kanda: Three to five years**

* * *

He had been playing with a baby on his lap, but as soon as the door opened, he'd put the baby down, stood up, and moved between them and the baby.

Kanda still got a glimpse, though, and he stiffened.

 _White hair._

There was no way. There was absolutely no fucking way. Kanda Yuu was not that lucky.

Steve smiled slightly, a little wary, but also welcoming. "Bucky," he greeted, no small amount of relief in his voice.

Bucky did not reply, but he didn't break his gaze, either. Steve took a few steps forward, and Kanda hadn't taken his eyes off the boy behind him, squeezing Bucky's hand unconsciously.

"You… wanted to talk to me?" Steve prompted, sounding like he was barely refraining from jumping with joy.

"Yes," Bucky confirmed. "I want to know who I was. And you know."

"Yeah," Steve breathed. After a few moments, he shook his head, took a deep breath, and forced himself to relax. "I have a son, you know." He stepped aside in a gesture of trust, ignoring Natasha's warning look, and offered, "His name is Allen. Your son… Yuu? Could play with him while we talk."

Bucky looked down at Kanda, who looked back up, saw the questioning look, and nodded quickly. He had to know. He _had_ to.

He scurried forward, and behind him, Bucky sat down with Steve and Natasha, and they started to talk in slow, halting questions and answers. But Kanda, right now, only cared about one thing.

He dropped down in front of Allen, plopped on his belly, and looked at him intently. And then his eyes widened, mouth opening slightly.

Not only white hair, but that same scar as well, and wide silver eyes.

It was _definitely_ him.

"Beansprout," Kanda breathed.

Allen's eyes sparked with shock and delight, and he pushed himself up a little more, reached forward, and grasped a handful of Kanda's jacket tentatively. "Ah," he greeted happily.

Kanda smiled and let himself laugh, dropping his head a little more to smirk at Allen, navy eyes sparkling. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't fucking believe it. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the stupid bear still wasn't paying attention, or anyone else, and said quietly, "Looks like we found oursel'es in a real mess, huh, sprout?"

Allen looked amused and nodded. "Oohn."

"Ha!" Kanda smirked, making Allen frown at him. "Still haven' got t'talkin' yet?"

Allen scowled at him, the best he could with his new baby face. "Kahn!"

Kanda laughed at him. "Can you e'en si' up?" he taunted.

Allen dropped his head onto his hands and pouted at him. "Bahh!"

Kanda laughed at him some more, but the next time Steve thought to look over and check on them, Allen was sitting up, leaning back against Yuu, and Yuu was talking to him, smiling, while Allen occasionally made babbly noises.

Bucky looked over, frowned in confusion, and commented, "Yuu doesn't smile."

"Apparently he does," Steve said, and then added, "Allen's never been so talkative."

* * *

There was a new Avenger around, Ant-Man.

He seemed a little uncomfortable at first, which was probably warranted, because Bucky gave him suspicious looks and Kanda scowled at him and Allen wasn't even allowed near him at first. But he liked the boys once he was allowed close, and he was surprisingly good with them.

Kanda didn't like him because every time he and Allen wanted to talk about something they didn't want the adults to hear, he had to check for him.

He settled down after one of these checks, across from Allen now that Allen was capable of sitting up on his own.

"What d'you tink we awe gonna do?" Kanda asked finally, a question they'd been putting off for a few weeks now. "When we gwown."

Allen considered for a long moment, biting his lip, and finally glanced at the door that led to where the Avengers were together, talking about what to do next and probably keeping an eye on Ant-Man still. Natasha especially, Allen recalled, was mistrustful of the man. Never put him down when Scott was around. "Kee," he said softly.

Kanda followed his gaze and, after a moment, nodded pensively. "I was kinda tinkin' dat, too," he admitted. "We gonna figh' again?"

Allen nodded.

"We gonna help the Avengers," Kanda concluded. "And th'bear, too. I tink he wanna stay 'ere." Quietly, with an almost guilty glance at Allen, "I do, too."

Allen smiled at him, slapped his good hand on the ground once, and nodded. "Ah!"

Kanda smiled, and for a few moments, both of them were silent.

"You really like i' 'round here, huh, sprout?" Kanda asked finally, startling Allen slightly. Allen tilted his head at him, then smiled and nodded.

"Mm!" It was still like a dream sometimes, having a family, a family who loved and hugged and played with him. It felt sort of like when he'd started to realize that the exorcists really did care for him, and worry about him. Kanda studied him with navy eyes, considering.

"The bear does, too," he commented absently. "I' helps him, I tink. Y'know he s'ill has twouble?"

Allen's eyes turned solemn and he nodded. "Ah."

"I wanna help 'im," Kanda told Allen, pensive. "Wih remembewing tere's a pwesent, too. 'Cause no one helped me." For a moment, he considered, and then added grudgingly, "No one 'cept you."

Allen smiled at him and reached forward to fist his hand in Kanda's sleeve. "Tah." He'd do it again, getting stabbed and all. Kanda frowned, but then he chuckled a little and shrugged Allen's grip off.

"Yeah, yeah. Stupi' sprout. What you know, you can' talk."

Allen let go and scowled at him. "Nah!"

Kanda laughed aloud, amused at the sprout's plight. "Can' talk, can' talk!"

 _"Poo!"_

"What you call me?" Kanda scowled at him now. Allen smirked triumphantly.

"Poo!"

Allen was glad that Kanda was around.

* * *

"We were… friends?" Bucky asked Steve, almost as if tasting the word.

The question nearly broke Steve's heart, but he smiled and nodded. "Yes, friends. Since we were kids."

Bucky visibly mulled this over, but whatever thought process he was following was broken when a smashing sound rang through the room. Both of them looked over to find Yuu standing over a fallen bowl, almost comically startled as he looked down at it. Allen was clinging to Yuu to help him stand up, also looking down, surprised.

Almost as soon as Steve had taken it in, Bucky had interposed himself between Steve and the two children, standing stiff and straight, all signs of ease gone in an instant.

"Bucky?" Steve questioned, concerned.

"Presenting myself for punishment in place of Yuu," Bucky said, face stiff and tense. "As the assignment is my responsibility."

Steve took a moment to process that, and then he winced as the implications set in. Bucky thought that Yuu was going to be punished for breaking the bowl, and was interceding on his behalf. Which meant that he'd probably had to do this before.

Steve took a deep breath, carefully mastering the anger that had risen up, and said softly, "I'm not going to punish either of you, Bucky." Bucky's face twitched at the name; it usually did. "I just want to clean up the mess."

Bucky studied him for a long few moments, and Steve held his breath, willing Bucky to trust him. Finally, Bucky nodded and turned around.

Yuu was ignoring both of them; he'd reached down and picked Allen up, scowling at the ground. Allen's arms looped around Yuu's neck and he also looked down with wide silver eyes, and then up at Steve and Bucky.

"Uh-oh," he offered quietly, and Steve had to chuckle.

Bucky went over to the two of them and picked Yuu up out of the glass, brow creased slightly. "You should be careful," he said finally. "You'll hurt yourself."

"I'm not gonna hurt myself," Yuu growled at him, holding Allen so he didn't fall. "Stupid bear."

"Not," Allen agreed, nodding along with Yuu, smiling brightly.

Steve stayed back, watching Bucky easily carry the two children out of the area he had deemed hazardous, and then set them on the table. He smiled slightly and said, "Thanks, Bucky."

He knelt down and started to sweep the bits of broken glass together, keeping half an eye on Bucky and the kids as Bucky looked at him, slightly surprised.

Yuu had put Allen down on the table beside him, and Allen was looking sleepy – Steve made a mental note to put him down for a nap soon. Yuu had an arm around his shoulders, holding him in place as Allen dozed.

Bucky was almost hovering; the only time he seemed to have an easy time processing information and making decisions was when it related to Yuu, which Steve thought was sweet and sort of sad.

In turn, Yuu sometimes seemed to hover over Bucky right back – when he wasn't watching Allen with a careful, almost protective eye.

And when they weren't fighting, Allen _adored_ Yuu. Steve smiled as Allen offered Yuu a sleepy smile and closed his eyes. Yuu scowled at him and then held him a little closer so he didn't fall, though he was blinking sleepily as well. Bucky, slightly tentative, looked to Steve for permission, and Steve nodded.

"Go ahead," he said quietly. "I'll clean up here."

Bucky nodded in gratitude and picked up both children again, heading off to put them both down for the intended nap. Steve smiled at his retreating back.

Yes, Bucky and his son were settling in better than Steve had hoped.

* * *

Steve and Natasha were busy today, but Sam had taken over entertaining the two children for the day, apparently. It hadn't taken him fifteen minutes to enlist Scott and Vision to help, and Allen had to admit, he was a little amused. A glance to the side told him that Kanda felt the same way.

Between the three of them, the two boys had been forced to allow themselves to be corralled into a single room, the main room, where the Avengers usually hung around when they were bored and had nothing to do.

"Uh…" By the clueless look Sam suddenly had, Allen concluded that he had no idea of what to do, and giggled. "What do little kids do for fun?"

Allen blinked big silver eyes up at him innocently. Kanda ducked his head to hide a smirk.

"My database suggests various games…" Vision said slowly, evidently struggling with the new puzzle of entertaining a human child. "Some of them seem quite strange."

"Yeah, well, little kids are strange," Sam dismissed. "Scott, what's with that face? You're not seriously saying you're any better off than we are."

Scott gave up and started chuckling, shaking his head. "You guys are hopeless. I have a little girl, remember? Look, we can play hide and seek with them. That one works for _years,_ just don't forget that Allen's still tiny." He winked at Allen, who smiled at him, amused, and offered a giggle. "So you have to hide _extra well,_ right, Allen?"

"Mm-hm!" Allen bobbed his head, struggling to hide his laughter. Kanda huffed.

"What 'bout me?" he demanded, pretending to be annoyed.

"And you too, Yuu," Scott confirmed, chuckling. "Allen, Yuu, have you ever played hide and seek before?"

In unison, both of them shook their heads, and Scott sat down to explain to them, while Vision sat down to listen as well, expression solemn, and Sam shook his head and tried to regain his dignity during the wait.

"Still don' li' him," Kanda muttered to Allen, and Allen gigged again.

"Are you sure this'll keep 'em occupied until Steve and Natasha get back?" Sam asked doubtfully.

* * *

Kanda's nightmares had started when he was two years old. But he was quiet; they had never woken Bucky. As far as he was aware, Bucky still didn't know, and when he woke up crying, he didn't make a sound. (Someday he'd probably wake up screaming, and then he wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.)

Allen was sometimes even more unfortunate than Kanda, though, and now, at a little over a year old, he was waking up crying loud enough to wake Kanda, who slept next door. So damn typical.

He rolled out of his small bed and darted over to open the door and peek in. Allen was sobbing, and Kanda frowned, watching him tremble and shake and flail one fist because the other wouldn't move beyond pathetic little twitches, face turned into the pillow so his face was hidden.

"Sprout?" he whispered, coming in and shutting the door behind him.

"No," Allen whimpered, head turned away, hiding his tear-streaked face. "Go 'way!"

"What wrong?" Kanda demanded, stomping forward.

"No!"

Kanda scowled a little. Allen was so _stubborn._ And he was fucking tired, but like hell he was ever going to get to sleep when he knew Allen was in this state, shaking like the world was falling around his ears. He wandered over to the crib and knelt, peeking through the bars. He started to speak, and then realized he had absolutely no idea how to calm someone down from a nightmare.

"What wrong?" he repeated finally. Allen glanced at him hesitantly, cries slowing slightly, and Kanda started. The curse was active, little gear flailing around the larger one, the eye behind it red and bloodshot. A curse fell from Kanda's mouth, feral and angry.

"Noting there," Allen said finally, miserably, through whimpers and tears. "But it lookin' anyway. Yuu, it _huwt._ It angwy." Quietly, "I sorry, but it not _stop._ Want it t' _stop."_

Kanda stared at him, tearsoaked and wincing and whimpering with pain and regret.

"You okay, sprout," he said finally, making Allen look at him properly, chest heaving and mouth slightly open, making helltons of noise. "You okay. Got it, beansprout? It okay. Gonna be okay."

Allen shook his head, and Kanda kind of wanted to shout at him but knew it wouldn't help at all. Then Allen reached for him, tears streaking his chubby little face, and Kanda got the idea and dropped the side of the crib. He climbed in, and Allen curled up against him, crying, clinging to him like a little leech – like he would leave any moment.

"No more," Allen whimpered against him. "No more."

Before, Kanda never would have taken this from the sprout, because he would've thought it was stupid, and Allen never would have done it, because he knew that, and anyway he'd set too much stock into pretending to be fine. But he got it, okay? Everything just seemed so _big_ as a baby, it hurt _so much_ _more;_ he hadn't forgotten that. Biology was dumb.

And God knew they both had more horrors than a baby ever should. Time enough to make fun of the sprout when he wasn't feeling so bad.

By the time Steve came in, just a few minutes later, Allen's cries had been reduced to sniffles and whimpers and the curse had died down, and Kanda's was half-dozing, leaning against the opposite side of the crib, arm still around the stupid baby and head on Allen's.

"Yuu?" Steve whispered, surprised, and Yuu blinked his eyes open and frowned at him.

"Wha?" he mumbled. Then he remembered what was going on and looked down at Allen. "Go 'way. Sprout's tryin' to sleep." He had this. Obviously. Didn't Steve have eyes?

Steve almost smiled, and Kanda huffed at him. "I know, I know," Steve soothed quietly, amusement leaking into his voice. "I just wanted to help him get back to sleep, okay?"

"I help him," Kanda insisted, feeling oddly irritated about this. Allen was _his_ friend, and anyway, what did Steve know about them? "I help beansprout sleep."

"I know you are," Steve chuckled. He was still amused by this, and his voice was irritatingly soothing, in a different way from the beansprout's. More natural, Kanda thought. Somehow, that made it even more irritating. "But I'm his father, okay? I can do it, too. You can go back to sleep if you want."

Kanda kept scowling at him, slightly more awake but definitely feeling crabby, and starting to feel stressed on top of it. "I help. You go," he snapped. Allen sniffled and stirred and raised his head, but didn't voice an opinion either way. Kanda scowled at him and pushed it back down, earning a quiet sound of protest. "Sprout sleep!" he growled at the boy, and Allen giggled. Good. Stupid beansprout was getting back to normal.

Well. What passed for normal now.

He watched Steve through narrowed eyes as the man visibly considered the situation. Finally, Steve said, in a soothing voice meant for children who didn't know what it was for, "Allen's okay now. See, Yuu? You can go to bed."

Nice try. Pain and nightmares always meant more nightmares, and anyway Kanda didn't feel like leaving. "No."

Steve froze. It was kind of funny, and Kanda smirked a little. "No?" he echoed, slightly befuddled.

"No," Kanda repeated stubbornly.

He was tired, and Steve didn't know and couldn't know and for some reason he really wanted to tell him but couldn't, and Allen's little smile had disappeared as soon as Steve started to show disapproval, open palm turning into a clenched fist in Kanda's pajamas, hiding his face.

Stupid beansprout, he didn't need to be scared. He scowled at Steve and crossed his arms.

Steve's face was stern now. "Yuu, go to bed. I'll put Allen to sleep soon, I promise. But you need to let me handle this."

"No!" Kanda snapped, kicking his feet angrily. Allen's fist tightened, and he whimpered softly again.

"Yuu," he whispered, and Kanda made a mental note to yell at him for that. But. Later.

"Steve?"

Bucky appeared in the doorway, frowning, and Kanda subsided slightly, still scowling.

"Sorry, Bucky," Steve said almost instantly, apologetic. "Allen woke up crying and Yuu got here before I did. I'm just trying to get Yuu to go back to bed."

Bucky frowned, and he looked at Kanda sternly. "Yuu, go to bed. Let Steve handle Allen."

Yuu almost stood up to obey (and since when was he _obedient?)_ but Allen's fist tightened and the baby sprout hiccuped, and he sat back down and glared. "No! No, no, no!" he raged, kicking his feet and scowling ferociously.

Bucky looked bemused, and in any other situation, Kanda might have found it funny, but not when they were trying to take him away from his little brother.

Kanda stilled as he tried to reprocess that last thought, but was distracted when Bucky came over and plucked him up. Allen cried out as Kanda was ripped from his grasp, and Kanda struggled angrily.

"No, no, no!" he chanted, squirming, loud and angry. Twice his feet thumped hard against Bucky's stomach, though the grown man didn't react.

"Yuu!" Allen said insistently, hand stretched out in concern.

Bucky still looked genuinely confused, holding him almost at arm's length without any difficulty at all, which was a real blow to Kanda's pride. Similarly, Steve picked up Allen as he started to whimper again, tears returning to his eyes as he stared anxiously at Kanda. Steve soothed his son with practiced ease, reassuring him quietly, rubbing his back.

"Yuu's fine, Bucky's just going to calm him down," Steve murmured reassuringly. "Come on, angel moy-" A pet name Steve had picked up from Natasha. "-settle down."

Almost as soon as he saw Allen start to calm, heading falling to rest on Steve's shoulder, Kanda subsided grudgingly. Fine, so Steve had _some_ talent with the beansprout. But Allen was still _his friend,_ and it was still _Kanda_ who had been with the sprout before… before. (Kanda did get a little satisfaction out of knowing that Steve would probably never learn what the sprout's nightmares were of, what was really happening.)

Then Kanda ended up in time-out. Beansprout had better appreciate it.

* * *

It had been nearly a year since Scott and Bucky had joined the Avengers, more since Sam, Vision, and Wanda had, and Natasha had gone from stiff and suspicious to something close to what she'd had with the old team.

Of course, look how that had turned out.

The New Avengers clicked in a similar way: with a lot of effort and stress. To Steve and Natasha, the awkward gaps where Thor, Tony, Clint, and Bruce should have been gaped wide, and the New Avengers had merely made new ones. This, of course, was the reason Natasha didn't usually make attachments.

She let her gaze drift across the room as she absently cleaned a knife, for lack of something better to do. Scott was grinning, relaxed beside Wanda as she smiled at him shyly. It had been Scott who drew her out of the shell she'd formed after her brother's death.

Nearby, Vision was engaged in Very Serious discussion with Rhodey, who had connected with him the most easily out of all of them – long experience with Stark's AIs had apparently paid off.

And beside her, Steve was talking quietly with Sam and Bucky, sketching a picture of Yuu and Allen dozing together as he conversed. All in all, it was a very quiet, easy atmosphere – nothing like the lively one that had usually pervaded Avengers tower.

But nice in its own way.

"Natasha?"

Steve's concerned voice interrupted her thoughts, and she quirked an eyebrow at him in question. His brow was furrowed, blue eyes completely focused on her.

"You've been cleaning that set of knives for an awfully long time," he explained.

Natasha looked down and put the knives away with a dismissive flick. "They were very dirty," she said, with a perfectly blank face. Steve gave her an amused smile and shook his head at her.

"It's different, but nice," Steve offered, because he could read her like no one else. (Still not any more than she let him.) His face turned serious. "Might not stay that way if the bill goes through."

Natasha nodded, face impassive. "That's true," she said neutrally.

Recently, they'd received a tip-off – from Tony, actually, though technically it had been anonymous – that Congress had been discussing a proposal to require that superhumans (of any sort, enhanced, born, or otherwise) register publicly.

Natasha was not fond of the idea. At least it had been her own choice to air her dirty laundry.

Steve would have liked to take the discussion further, but at that moment, the door opened, and Yuu wandered in, still rubbing one eye sleepily, with Allen trotting along ahead, smiling brightly.

Yuu went for Scott and stared at him suspiciously, and Scott pretended he didn't notice. After a few minutes, Yuu went ahead and spoke to Vision, who looked at him Very Seriously and nodded along to what he was saying – something about the Avengers being absent more often lately, and Natasha spared a moment to regret that Yuu was speaking to Vision and not one of the others, as Vision was likely to give him a straight answer. (The Avengers had gone out more often lately, in response to a stirring HYDRA and rumors of SHIELD activity, genuine SHIELD. Something about a sector for superhumans…)

Natasha was distracted as Allen climbed up between her and Steve, sat up, and beamed at them. She smiled back on instinct and reached down to ruffle his hair, earning a soft sound of protest.

"Good morning, angel moy," she greeted with amusement. "Did you dream well?"

"Mm-hm," Allen nodded, but his eyes cut to one side, and Natasha gave him a stern look, hand dropping from his hair to rest on his left shoulder.

"Don't lie to your parents," she said firmly, and Allen looked mortified.

Yuu paused in his interrogation of poor Vision to look over and smirk at them. "Beansprout can't lie to his parents!" he taunted, kicking his feet. "Can't lie!"

Allen stuck his tongue out at Yuu. "Leas' I don' look like a girl!"

"Gonna cut your old man hair off!" Yuu threatened back. Steve glanced down at Allen with concern, but Allen hadn't even blinked – for some reason, Yuu was the only one who could comment on Allen's hair, eye, or arm without Allen ducking and looking ashamed.

He wondered what the two boys got up to when they weren't in earshot.

Allen huffed at Yuu and curled up against Steve, ire fading away as he looked up at the blond man with wide eyes and a bright smile. "What we doing?" he asked.

Steve smiled down at him. "Do you want to play with your ball?"

Allen brightened. "Yeah!"

Natasha smiled at both of them as Allen scrambled to get down and toddled off, and Steve offered a smile in return as he followed at a more sedate pace.

"Don't hurt yourselves," Natasha called after them, more teasing than concerned, and Steve chuckled.

"We won't."

* * *

"Bear!" Yuu called, and Bucky glanced up, raising an eyebrow in question.

Yuu, now five years old, was darting toward him, waving his arms manically and scowling, and a slight smile curled Bucky's lips.

"What is it, Yuu?" he asked, picking the boy up and setting him on his lap.

Yuu crossed his arms and scowled. "Beansprout's a brat."

"Am not!" Allen protested, belated tearing into the room. Bucky looked down at him as he tugged on his pants, pouting, left arm hanging limply at his side, black and rough. "Not a brat!"

"What happened?" Bucky asked, amused despite himself.

"Beansprout took my crayons!" Yuu huffed, aiming a kick at Allen's head. Allen avoided it and scowled right back.

"You not using them!" he protested. "Wanna _color!"_

Bucky chuckled, smirking slightly.

He'd been right, before; talking to Steve had slowly let him remember who he'd been before, and even better, was slowly helping him become that person again. It was slow, but Bucky was getting better – he was learning to be himself again.

As great as that, though, was the fact that when they came here, Yuu had found a best friend, in the form of Steve's little son.

"Yuu, if you don't want Allen to steal your crayons, you have to defend your property," he told his son, though Steve would probaby scold him later.

Yuu eyed him suspiciously (probably thinking the same thing) and then jumped off to tackle Allen. Bucky watched as they wrestled, rolling across the floor, rough but not so rough that one of them might get hurt.

It ended with Yuu over Allen, of course, pinning him to the ground with one hand pinning the boy's rough left wrist, and the other on his thin right. Yuu was smirking triumphantly.

"Gotcha, beansprout!"

Allen huffed and struggled, but Yuu was so much bigger than him that he had no chance. "Meanie!" he accused, pouting.

"Only to you, little brother," Yuu smirked, and then his eyes widened, and so did Allen's. For a moment, they stared at each other.

Then Allen beamed brightly at Yuu, and Yuu relaxed enough for Allen to pull himself up and tackle him in a hug, laughing, while Yuu struggled halfheartedly.

Bucky sat back and smiled at both of them.

* * *

 **So you'll notice that there's a lot less plot than I put in the main story, and the whole thing is a lot less dynamic. Character development, what's that? *scowls at past self* Also, yes, there's at least one scene in there that I stopped writing in the middle again, sorry about that. *grimace* Next up is the Lavi collection from this sub-verse, which was originally going to be included in this, except then I noticed how long it was getting. *laugh* Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	7. Kanda, Allen, Lavi - Reunion (DS)

**A/N: And this would be the last set of deleted scenes for now: the Lavi portion of the 'if Allen was Steve and Natasha's biological kid' scenario. Which, by the way, I'm glad you guys have liked so much. *smile* Note: Lavi has never told Tony about his past, either. That revelation wouldn't have initially taken place until they united with Lenalee.**

 **Thank you to Nightgray, frodalulz, InsanityOwl, jy24, Niari. D. Mischief, Shadow-X1999, karina001, RMXStudio, MsMusicLover, and 2 guests for reviewing!**

 **Title: You Are My Universe**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Family**

 **Warnings: AU, _!_ _spoilers for Winter Soldier onward,_** ** _spoilers for Agents of SHIELD!_**

 **Summary: Side story to Cosmic Composite, primarily family fluff oneshots and missing scenes.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man, and the Avengers are but a dream that is not my own.**

* * *

 **Allen: Three years old**

 **Kanda: Six years old**

 **Lavi: Six years old**

* * *

"Tokyo?" Lavi, now six years old, muttered, setting his chin on his hand with a frown. Then he shrugged and scribbled in his notebook. "Difference starts here, then. The Edo period is when Japan started going to hell."

Despite his slight grumbling, Lavi was pleased – not just with his progress, which had been pretty good so far, but with the ability to do this, to record history again.

Starting with breaking down the differences between this world and his own. Now that he was finished analyzing mythologies across the world for traces of akuma (he'd found none, to his relief, unlike in his own world) he'd moved on to solid history, albeit only what the public knew. It was very satisfying.

He settled down to read this section more carefully, writing down each distinct event and split as he came across it. _As in the world of Noah, all outsiders had been banned from Japan in 1641, he wrote. The next confirmed divergence is in 1774, when a Japanese translation of a Western medical journal, Kaitai Shinsho, was published. However, in the world of Noah, Japan had by this time been completely lost to the Noah. I theorize that the downslide began soon after 1641 and was sped up substantially when Mt. Fuji erupted in 1707._

He considered the entry for a moment, and then sighed and put his pen down.

Was Bookman alive here? Was he doing the same thing as Lavi was, examining everything in history with that keen, experienced look?

What about his friends? Was Yuu here? Lenalee? Allen?

And if they were, where would they be? Had Yuu been screwed over again, or Allen, or Lenalee? Was their luck bad enough for that?

How many were there? Or was it just him?

Damn it. Lavi couldn't concentrate like this. He rolled and pushed himself off the floor, stretching slightly, and then jogged off to find Tony. Tony was always lots of fun.

"Where's Daddy?" he asked FRIDAY, not looking up.

"In the common room, Lavi," FRIDAY replied instantly.

Lavi didn't acknowledge her further except to head off in that direction, green eyes gleaming with melancholy. He didn't want to think about his friends right now. It always led to more nightmares.

Not that much could keep them away.

Tony was indeed in the living room, and Lavi paused just outside to listen, out of sight.

"Really? No joke?"

Tony sounded very suspicious. Lavi tilted his head slightly, interested.

"You, Steve Rogers, want me, Tony Stark, to come in." Tony sounded the very meaning of dubious. Lavi stifled a giggle and kept listening. "Oh, technical troubles, that explains everything. So you want the genius, not the hero?" Another pause. Lavi's smile faded at the tightness in his father's voice. "Fine. _Fine._ When and where?" Pause. "Got it."

"Daddy?" Lavi questioned, peeking into the room uncertainly.

Tony smiled tersely, crossing the room to ruffle Lavi's hair. Lavi stared up at him, unimpressed. "Hey, little buddy. Feel like seeing Uncle Steve and Aunt Natasha again?" Lavi stared at him, wide-eyed. Tony's smile softened a little. "And their kid, too – I know you were looking forward to meeting with him. His name's Allen."

Lavi's breath caught, and then he beamed up at Tony, so pleased he couldn't speak, and nodded enthusiastically.

 _Yes. Yes, please._

* * *

Lavi was waiting. Lavi was also very impatient.

In fact, he was sort of bouncing with it, rocking back and forth on his feet and making Tony laugh at him, not that he especially cared right now. His green eyes were sparkling, bright with anticipation.

"Try not to burst before we get there, little buddy," Tony chuckled, looking down at him with amused brown eyes. "Geez, and we haven't even gotten on the jet yet."

Lavi wrinkled his nose at him. Tony just didn't _understand._

Tony was taking Lavi with him for now, only because Lavi had insisted and whined and thrown a very small tantrum, which he _never_ did. Pepper had to remain at Stark Tower, because she still had to run the company, and Lavi would theoretically go back and forth between them.

A wind started to blow, and both of them looked up sharply. Lavi's eyes were sparkling again, but Tony had gone tense.

Then an invisible jet door opened, and Rhodey peeked out, smiling apologetically and waving. "Hey, Tony. Ready to go?"

Tony stared for a long moment, and then he relaxed with a reluctant smile. "Rhodey!" he greeted, rather pleased, moving forward with Lavi trotting along behind. "Should've known they were smart enough to send you."

Rhodey chuckled. "Yeah, they're a little concerned about how you'll react. You didn't sound real happy on the phone, you know?"

Tony snorted and didn't dignify that with a response, but he bumped Rhodey's shoulder on his way in. No hard feelings with _Rhodey,_ after all.

"Hi, Rhodey," Lavi greeted cheerfully, waving at the tall man with a grin.

"Hey, tiny Tony," Rhodey returned without missing a beat, as the jet took off. "How've you been?"

"Great!" Lavi smiled, hopping onto a seat. "Daddy taught me how to read and write, and it's a lot of fun."

Rhodey stared at him incredulously for a moment before shaking his head at a proud-looking Tony. "Well, he's as nuts as you are, Tones."

"Yep," Tony agreed, as cheerful as his son.

They continued to make small talk, avoiding the real issue, right up until Tony mentioned FRIDAY and they both sobered.

"So…" Tony drew out the word for as long as possible, and Lavi both quieted and stilled, doing his best to make sure they forgot he was there. Adults always said the most when they forgot that kids could hear them. "Something's wrong with Vision, huh?"

His voice was a little strained as he mentioned the android, and Lavi winced as well, ducking slightly to hide his face, though neither man was looking at him. It was ridiculous. It had been a few years now, and he still missed JARVIS.

He'd barely known the AI. And the AI had barely known him.

But he'd kept his secret anyway.

"Yeah," Rhodey said quietly. "And Tony? Try not to give him a hard time, alright? It's not his fault."

"I know that," Tony said, a little too sharply. "It's _mine."_

For another moment, they were both quiet, and then Tony sighed again.

"Sorry. What's wrong?"

"His nervous system isn't working right, and lately it's been cutting out altogether sometimes," Rhodey explained. "It's been coming on for a while, but it's getting real bad now. His left arm keeps refusing to work altogether, and sometimes his left eye does, too."

Lavi glanced up, brow furrowed. That sounded… _strangely_ familiar.

"And last but not least-" Rhodey's voice was a little dry now. "He isn't recovering right. You know the self-repairing system? Yeah, it's gotten pretty inconsistent."

Tony 'hm'ed. "Well, there's nothing I can think of off the top of my head that'd cause that, but I'll do my best, alright, honey bun?"

Rhodey chuckled and shook his head at Tony. "I know you will."

The small talk returned, lightening the atmosphere, and Lavi pondered the familiarity of Vision's problems – just the same ones Allen and Yuu had had before. Strange. Real strange.

"Are we there yet?"

The two adults paused in their conversation to laugh at him. He huffed.

Some time later, they landed in front of the New Avengers' base, a former Stark warehouse, if Lavi remembered. Steve was out front, face serious, and the lines around Tony's eyes tightened slightly at the sight.

He put it away, though, and looked down at Lavi with a smile, while Lavi pretended he hadn't noticed. "There's your Uncle Steve," he said with false cheer. "Let's go say hi."

Lavi nodded eagerly, and together they strode forward. Steve paused to give Lavi a friendly, warm smile, but it slid off his face as soon as he returned his attention to Tony, now slightly regretful.

"Tony," Steve greeted, holding out his hand. "Good to see you."

Tony waved it off with an easy, fake smile and said, "Yeah, yeah, right. Okay. Can I take a look at Vision? C'mon, Cap, he's got a kind of hardware I haven't seen myself and that's just unacceptable."

Steve's smile wavered. "Right." He cleared his throat. "Vision's inside. He hasn't had any problems with his legs or flight system yet, but…" He shrugged.

Yeah. Lavi would be willing to bet that he wouldn't, either. Not unless Lenalee…

Awkwardly, Steve turned and started to lead the way in. Tony seemed perfectly content to give Steve the cold shoulder, so Lavi feigned obliviousness and hurried forward to grin at Steve.

"Steve, Steve," he chanted, tugging on Steve's sleeve. Steve looked down at him with an indulgent smile. "What's everyone like? Are they fun? Are they nice?"

"You'll see," Steve laughed, running his fingers briefly through Lavi's hair. "Calm down, Lavi. I promise they're very nice, and most of them are fun, okay?"

"Okay," Lavi agreed easily. "What about Allen? Is he fun? Is he nice?"

"He's very nice," Steve assured him, smiling fondly. "He's best friends with Bucky's son, actually." Lavi felt Tony jerk slightly but pretended not to. Then Steve glanced down, looking a little worried. "But Allen looks a little… unusual. Be nice, alright?"

Lavi's eyes sparkled. _Yes. Yes!_ "I will," he promised, barely keeping the excitement out of his voice. Steve smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

Inside, he barely listened to the introductions, only halfheartedly noting how the whole thing went – Wanda staying away from Tony, Vision looking awkward, Scott looking a little stunned – before Natasha finally noticed his skittishness, chuckled at him, smoothed his ruffled hair down, and said with amusement,

"The boys are in the next room over. Why don't you go play, zaichik?"

 _About time!_ Lavi beamed at her, nodded, and then darted to the door as quickly as he could.

He swung it open, stopped, and stared.

He didn't know how he was feeling right now, but happy was not nearly a good enough word for it.

A boy with white hair and a vicious scar lay plopped on his stomach, coloring carefully. Beside him, a boy with long black hair and dark blue eyes did the same.

A beaming grin spread slowly across Lavi's face, and he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, heart beating fast. Yuu looked up at the sound, eyes narrow, stopped, and stared.

"Yuu!" Lavi beamed, darting across the room to stand in front of them.

At the sound of his voice, Allen's head jerked up, and silver eyes widened. "Lavi!" he exclaimed, and he bounced up, eyes sparkling, and lunged forward to wrap his arm around Lavi.

Lavi laughed and grinned and hugged him right back, picking the _tiny_ boy up and swinging him around gleefully. "Allen! I knew it was you, I knew it!"

Yuu slowly pushed himself up, still looking stunned, and, as Lavi finally let Allen's feet touch the ground again (though the younger boy didn't let go) Yuu threw his arm around his shoulders, smirked at him, and squeezed once before letting go.

"About time, stupid rabbit," Yuu said with a playful growl. Lavi beamed at him, though he didn't dare dislodge Allen's determined hug.

"Sorry, I was a little groundbound," Lavi said cheerfully, still barely stifling happy laughter. "Got here as soon as I could."

Yuu smiled a little, and Allen spoke up at last, face still half-buried in Lavi's shirt. (Strange. Lavi didn't recall Allen being this affectionate.) "Miss you," Allen mumbled, and Lavi could feel his smile.

Lavi's smile softened but stayed just as genuine. "Missed you too, beansprout."

Allen tipped his head up so Lavi could see his smile instead of feel it. "Yuu miss you, too," he said brightly. Lavi raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Since when do you call Kanda Yuu?"

Yuu looked at Lavi with a scowl of challenge. "Don't have the name Kanda here," he said, by way of explanation. Lavi grinned.

"Now you can't argue with me!"

Yuu scowled at him, but there was an amused look in his eyes. "Watch me."

"Ah, but Yuu!"

* * *

Happy as they were, they couldn't stay walking on clouds forever, and eventually, the three boys settled down a little. Lavi plopped down on his stomach in the middle of the floor with Allen tucked up against his side, one arm thrown across the small boy's back. Kanda was on his back on Allen's other side, head tilted to frown at Lavi.

"I found somethin' out," Lavi said suddenly, remembering that he'd wanted to tell them this. Kanda raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, out with it, stupid rabbit."

Allen nudged Kanda sternly and gave Lavi an expectant look. "Lavi?"

"We're not in the same world," Lavi told them, face gone serious, two green eyes meeting theirs.

Both their eyes widened slightly, and Kanda shot a paranoid glance around – a cursory search for Scott – before looking back to Lavi.

"How you know?" Allen wanted to know, silver eyes gleaming in concern. He and Kanda had talked about it before, and had eventually decided that they were probably just in the future.

"History," Lavi explained, pushing himself up a little more, though he didn't move his arm from around Allen. "Japan never got wiped out – in fact, it did some stuff it didn't do when we were alive. Translations and stuff. Plus, there wasn't any point in time when cities were disappearing without explanation, and you guys remember – that happened all the time. There's other stuff, too – I started writing it down about two years back, if you wanna see."

Kanda nodded absently, gaze turning to focus on the ceiling, frowning. "Yeah, do that, rabbit." Suddenly, he blinked and rolled over to look at Lavi seriously, now on his stomach again. "We got some stuff for you, too."

Allen's face turned solemn, and Lavi tilted his head slightly.

"Yeah? How bad?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Pwetty bad," Allen admitted, leaning his head on Lavi's shoulder. "No' Noah bad. But bad."

"HYDRA," Kanda explained, and to his slight surprise, Lavi perked up slightly.

"Great," Lavi breathed, looking genuinely pleased. "Been worrying myself crazy about them, honestly. And Dad, too. You know some stuff?"

Kanda snorted and shook his head. "Of course you know about them," he said with some disgust. "Well, they nearly went down for a bit, but obviously they've recovered. 'Parently there's signs that they're gonna attack SHIELD, and there's a bunch of stupid leadership shuffling. Aunt Tasha thinks that a guy called Grant Ward is gonna come out on top."

"Grant Ward," Lavi murmured, committing the name to memory. (Not that he would have forgotten it otherwise.) "Know anything 'bout him?"

"No' really," Allen shrugged. "He worked fo SHIELD, I tink. Mom knew 'im. If I asked, she coul' tell me." After a moment for thought, he added, "He was a goo' spy."

"Figures," Lavi muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Anything else?"

"They're still collecting people with powers," Kanda said with a wrinkle of his nose. "Oh, shit, I didn't tell you."

Lavi felt Allen start slightly and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I was an experiment again," Kanda explained with a scowl. "A HYDRA one. With the bear."

"Bucky," Allen tacked on by way of explanation, face solemn again. Lavi winced.

"Damn, Yuu, you just have the worst luck, huh?"

Kanda scowled. "Whatever. Anyway, so they're doing that. Wanda got her powers like that, too, from HYDRA. Might wanna look out for that."

Lavi nodded, frowning, mentally noting all that down. This would be a lot easier to figure out from the HYDRA perspective, but well… like hell, to be blunt.

"Oh, an' here," Allen pitched in, laying his head on his arm and tilting it up to look at Lavi. Lavi looked down, expectant. "You gonna wanna know who to look out for, wight?"

"That'd be nice, yeah," he agreed, settling down slightly to look at the younger boy. Allen was the only person he knew who was better at people than Lavi was.

"Well, Daddy likes to trust people," Allen started, silver eyes focused on Lavi's green. "He's gonna tink dat you're just a little stwange, won't tink anyting of it. But Mommy was a spy, you hafta be caweful 'round her."

Lavi nodded in acknowledgement.

"Scott still worried 'bout his place hewe," Allen continued, laying his cheek in his right hand, bare left splayed across the ground. "So he won't say anyting, bu' Yuu like to look fo 'im anyway, 'fore we talk. He tuwns small, y'know?"

"Turns small, huh?" Lavi asked, with a bit of a grin. "Pretty interesting."

Allen gave him a little smile and a nod. "Vision doesn' get us, so he won't notice. Rhodey-"

"I know Rhodey," Lavi interrupted, grinning properly now. "Don't worry about him."

Allen smiled and nodded again. "Awight. An' Sam's a bit like Daddy, but a little more suspicious, so be a li'l caweful. An' Wanda won't notice 'cause she still really worried all th'time, but don' be too obv'ous anyway."

"Alright," Lavi acknowledged with a grin, ruffling Allen's hair and chuckling at his protest. "Thanks, little beansprout."

Allen smiled at him, and then reached for his paper and the crayons again, apparently satisfied. Kanda grabbed his as well, and Lavi took a fresh sheet of paper from a little stack. He liked coloring, too, when he wasn't recording.

He picked out a color, bright red, and glanced over at the other two thoughtfully.

Kanda's paper was scattered with little, clumsy lotus flowers all over, and now he was carefully adding just one more. Below each lotus flower was a name – Bucky, Allen, Yuu, Uncle Steve, Aunt Tasha, Alma, and under the one he'd drawn just now, Lavi.

Lavi's smile softened slightly and he transferred his gaze to Allen's, expecting something… well, not what he found.

Allen was carefully, almost obsessively, trying to capture what was very clearly a very basic akuma soul. Lavi stared at him.

"Beansprout?" he asked cautiously.

Allen started slightly and glanced up at him, followed his gaze, and smiled weakly, a little sad.

"I haven' seen any," he promised Lavi, who was looking at him with concern now. "I just…" He shrugged. "Can' stop tinking 'bout them."

He bent his head down to the paper again, and Lavi shot Kanda a concerned look over his head.

"His curse still activates," Kanda explained shortly, looking possibly more disapproving than he had when he'd explained about how he'd come about this time 'round. "At night. Wakes him up, but there's nothing there."

"Damn," Lavi muttered, setting crayon to paper. "Scratch that, you _both_ have the absolute worst luck."

Kanda snorted and looked down, setting aside the soft pink in favor of a basic blue, which he started to use to color between the lotuses. Then Lavi started to draw as well, struggling blueprints emerging in primary-color red.

For a while, all them drew in silence. Allen switched colors and struggled to get the details of the akuma soul, but never quite able to get there, to capture that sickening, heart-wrenching image. Kanda switched from blue to brown and started to color around the lotuses again, lighter and mixed in with the blue.

Lavi finished last, dropping the crayon as he put the last details on the sketch of Dummy, and hopped back up, tilting his head at the other two.

"I'm gonna show Dad," he announced with a grin.

Kanda shrugged and stood up as well, taking his picture with him, but Allen crumpled his up and scurried away to hide it.

"Coming, beansprout?" Kanda threw over his shoulder, though it was a rhetorical question – Allen rarely passed up a chance to spend time with his parents.

Allen nodded quickly and followed them out the door, smiling brightly already.

The Avengers weren't all in the room, just Bucky, Natasha, Steve, and Tony. Natasha was mediating the talk between Tony and Steve, looking somewhere between annoyed and amused, and Bucky stood back and watched thoughtfully.

Lavi broke into this by running right up to Tony and grabbing onto his pants, attracting an expectant look. He shoved the paper in Tony's direction, beaming. "Look what I drew!"

Tony obediently took the paper and looked at it, and after a moment, he smiled, glancing past it again to Lavi's beaming grin. "Is this Dummy?" he asked, raising one eyebrow, still smiling.

Lavi nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh!"

Bucky looked over and found Yuu hanging back beside Allen, who was looking at Lavi and smiling, right hand cradling his left elbow so it looked like he was crossing his arms. Yuu was holding a paper and carefully not looking at Bucky.

"Yuu? Do you have a drawing too?" Bucky asked, because he knew Yuu.

Yuu glanced at him, slightly hesitant, but after a moment he nodded and left Allen behind to hold up his drawing silently – lotuses and names on a background of muddy water.

"You're getting good at those," Bucky noted, nodding at the flowers. Yuu shrugged and placed it on his lap, but he didn't leave again.

Natasha smiled at both of them and looked at Allen. "Did you not draw anything, Allen?"

Allen wouldn't meet her eyes, but he shook his head and walked over to her, holding up his arms. Natasha chuckled and lifted him up to place him on her lap.

"You're a terrible liar," she said with amused fondness, making Allen flush and duck his head. She ruffled his hair and added, "I hope you show us your drawings someday. Your father and I would both like to see them."

Allen shrugged and leaned his head on her shoulder, and Natasha sighed and let him, smiling fondly. Steve looked over at both of them and smiled, too, looking warm and happy. The look made Tony soften as well, and suddenly he started chuckling.

"Always knew you'd be a happy family, Cap. And your kid is _just_ like you."

"Could say the same of yours," Steve retorted, without a hint of bite.

The tension was gone like it was never there.

* * *

Natasha was not oblivious, and she was not a fool, and she trusted, ultimately, no one. There were a lot of things she saw that Steve missed, many of which she chose to ignore.

This was not one of them.

Natasha had been away a lot lately; as far as most of the Avengers were concerned, it had been a quiet few months with little HYDRA activity. Natasha and Bucky, though, had gone out on many a fact-finding mission, keeping up with the rapid shuffling of the leadership, and its swift recovery. So she took her down-time where she could.

Now, she was playing quietly with Allen, but as much as she was playing, she was thinking.

There was something odd about Allen. Now, Natasha had never claimed to be an expert on children, even with Allen right there in front of her, but she knew that Allen was mature for his age, and her little angel, bless him, could never lie to her.

Consequently, she knew he was hiding something, and had been for quite a long time. She just didn't know what it _was._ And while it had been a little disconcerting at first, she'd decided to let him tell her when she was ready.

"Mommy?" Allen was tilting his head at her, eyes concerned and quizzical. She brought herself out of her thoughts to look at him thoughtfully, long enough that he started to look a little uneasy.

"Allen," she said finally, looking down to the puzzle they were assembling together. "You know you can tell me anything, don't you?"

Allen was silent, and when she glanced back up, he was giving her a wide-eyed, slightly frightened look. She offered a small, reassuring smile, which didn't quite dispel it.

He opened his mouth, closed it, and then ducked his head, cheeks burning with what appeared to be shame. After only a few moments of his silence, Natasha took pity on him.

"I can wait, angel moy. You can tell me when you're ready."

Allen hesitantly glanced back up at her, caught her smile, and offered a small smile back. "Okay," he said, soft and honest, and looked back down to the puzzle to move a piece into place. She smiled, and both of them went back to work.

* * *

 **Oh look! I remembered what plot was. Just in time to drop everything. *wry smile* But no half-finished scenes in this one. Anyway, like I said, this finishes out everything I had from when Allen was still their biological child. I might not get anything else for this up for a while, since I've been busy, but unless I think I really need to put something else first, the next thing should be a very late Christmas fic with the boys. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


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